14 January 2015
Whilst Thursday’s Coppa Italia clash at Juventus Stadium signals the start of the Bianconeri’s quest for Italy’s domestic cup, their opponents Hellas Verona go into the game on the back of two consecutive victories in the competition.
Andrea Mandorlini’s men - who currently sit 13th in Serie A - began their cup campaign at the third round stage way back in August 2014 when they were pitted against Lega Pro Prima Divisione outfit Cremonese at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Following a goalless first 45 minutes in which the hosts had a Lazaros Christodoulopoulos strike ruled out for a foul in the build-up, last season’s second-highest goalscorer in Italy's top flight and former Bianconero Luca Toni put the Gialloblu ahead on 50 minutes with a close-range finish.
That lead was soon doubled when Vangelis Moras rose highest to meet a corner on the hour-mark. And their 3-0 victory and subsequent place in the last 32 was confirmed thanks to Christodoulopoulos’ curled effort from the edge of the area six minutes later.
The next round brought another home tie, this time against newly-promoted Serie B side Perugia, as the Gialloblu took to the Bentegodi pitch on a chilly December evening looking to book their spot in the last 16 against nine-time winners Juventus.
An evenly-poised affair was ultimately settled 1-0 by Hellas’ summer signing Javier Saviola in the 17th minute, with the former Barcelona man picking himself up to send opposition goalkeeper Jan Koprivec the wrong way from the penalty spot after Marco Rossi’s foul.
