Genoa vs Reggiana

Stadio Luigi Ferraris forms the backdrop for Genoa’s straightforward-looking Coppa Italia tie against second-tier Reggiana.

Genoa upheld their Serie A status on their top-flight return last season, courtesy of a decent 11th-place finish under Alberto Gilardino. Replicating that task in 2024/25 could be daunting, with Genoa already losing Mateo Retegui to Atalanta. Standout winger Albert Gudmundsson could soon head through the exit door, leaving Gilardino with bare bones in the front third. Despite uneventful summer dealings, the Griffins come into proceedings as clear-cut favorites to reach the next Coppa Italia round, just as they did when the two teams met in last season’s round of 32. Genoa needed extra time to progress from that tie following a 1-1 draw in regulation time, protecting their 100% unbeaten ratio against Reggiana since 1993 (W5, D6).

However, since that abovementioned loss in this competition remains the only meeting between the teams in the 21st century, Reggiana won’t care much about their dismal H2H record. After commencing their pre-season campaign with three straight losses, including a 4-0 defeat to Genoa’s Serie A rivals Fiorentina, the visitors got back on track, racking up back-to-back friendly wins against lesser teams to set themselves up nicely for this trip. Despite their underdog status in this fixture, William Viali’s men can draw confidence from their scintillating away form in 2024, with Reggiana only losing twice on their ten competitive road trips this calendar year (W4, D4, L2).