Wednesday’s Coppa Italia quarterfinal could be an important one for Inter Milan , and not only because it could bring the Nerazzurri just two wins away from their eighth Cup title, and first since 2011. When they take to the pitch against ACF Fiorentina at the San Siro in Milan, Italy , the struggling Inter lineup may get a serious shot in the arm from the addition of Danish international Christian Eriksen, who completed a transfer move from English side Tottenham Hotspur to Inter on Tuesday, according to ESPN.
“It’s wonderful to be here and I’m happy to be a new Inter player,” Eriksen said in a statement, as quoted by ESPN.
“The numbers say that I did really well in England. It’s now time to start a new challenge.”
Eriksen, 27, scored 51 Premier League goals for Tottenham since going the London club from 34-time Dutch champions Ajax in a reported $14 million transfer early in the 2013/2014 season. But Inter Milan, who led Italy’s Serie A for much of the season, have now fallen three points behind eight-time-running champions Juventus after three consecutive 1-1 draws in league play.
But in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, Inter cruised past Cagliari by a 4-1 tally. While Eriksen is likely to be held out of league matches at least until the Milan derby on February 9, he may be in line to see playing time in the Cup match against La Viola on Wednesday according to a report by Sempre Inter .
With or without Eriksen, however, Inter is favored to take the home win from Fiorentina — who currently sit 13th on the Serie A table — with 1/2 odds on the home side grabbing the victory, according to odds published by Soccer Times . On the other hand, the side from Florence come in as 6/1 longshots.
Though Inter Milan have not taken home the Coppa Italia in nine years, they have been on a decent run in the tournament of late, with only one loss within the regulation 90 minutes in their last six Cup matches.
Fiorentina, despite a largely disappointing season, have shown some signs of life in recent weeks, going without a loss in their last five games across all competitions. They eliminated Atalanta — the fifth-place Serie A side — in the Coppa Round of 16, using an 84th-minute goal by Spain’s Pol Lirola to come away with the 2-1 victory.
The Inter Milan vs. ACF Fiorentina Coppa Italia quarterfinal match kicks off at 8:45 p.m. at the historic San Siro in Milan on Wednesday. That start time will be 2:25 p.m. EST, 11:45 a.m. PST, in the United States, where the game may be viewed only via a live online stream, using the ESPN+ subscription service.