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ESPNsoccernet: Europe |
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Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Inter set to stroll into Coppa Italia final
ROME, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Holders Inter Milan are set for a San Siro stroll on Thursday as they protect a 3-0 Italian Cup semi-final lead over Sampdoria.
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Another win for Inter would make it three victories in nine
days over Samp, who also lost 2-0 to the league leaders in Serie
A at the weekend.
Sampdoria put up a fight on Sunday and might have pushed
harder had it not been for the seventh-minute expulsion of
Gennaro Delvecchio for headbutting Inter defender Marco
Materazzi.
'If we had had 11 men we would have given a better account
of ourselves and we would have scored as well,' Sampdoria coach
Walter Novellino said, though without midfielder Sergio Volpi
and defender Christian Terlizzi, who are both injured, he stands
little chance of causing an upset.
For Inter, Ivan Cordoba is expected to stand in for
suspended defender Nicolas Burdisso, who scored twice in the
first leg.
The Argentine international's absence, however, is unlikely
to derail Inter's drive for the final as they aim for a third
consecutive Cup title.
AS Roma start as slender favourites to reach the final going
into Wednesday's second-leg of their semi-final with AC Milan at
the Olympic stadium.
Trailing to early goals by Ricardo Oliveira and Filippo
Inzaghi, Roma hit back through Simone Perrotta and David Pizarro
to level the score at the interval before missing several
chances to win the match in the second half.
With away goals counting double in the case of the tie
ending in a draw, Roma are in a good position for the return.