GdS: Money and pride – the three reasons Milan must go all in for the Coppa Italia | OneFootball

The Coppa Italia may not have the allure of the Champions League or the Scudetto, but for AC Milan it represents the only realistic target left.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, there are three reasons that Milan are looking to try and lift the Coppa Italia. The first is Europa League access, the second is a place in the Supercoppa Italiana and the third is the income generated.

Derby pride

Milan have already earned around €3m – in prize money alone – by reaching the semi-finals of the competition. To this figure should be added the box office from the matches already played at San Siro against Sassuolo and Roma, plus that of the home game against Inter on April 2.

Reaching the final would then bring in another €2m, which could increase to €4.6m in the event of winning the trophy. However, everything depends on the double derby in the semi-finals.

Beating their rivals won’t save the season for Milan, but – after the victory in the first league meeting and the Supercoppa final – it would be something more than just a consolation for the fans.

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The prospect of Europe

As mentioned, the Coppa Italia can also be the most accessible route to Europe. The revenues of the Europa League are far from those of the Champions League, but they are better than nothing.

Participation guarantees about €4.3m, which can grow with prizes for individual matches (€450k for each victory and €150k for each draw in the group stage).

Then there is the ranking (€600k for the first eight positions, €300k for access to the play-off). Finally, the advancement from round to round goes up to a maximum of €21.5m in the event of winning the final.

A trophy to defend

In addition to the Europa League, the Coppa Italia is now the only way for Milan to hope to participate in the next Supercoppa Italiana, because second place in the league is 16 points away.

So, to defend the title won in January in Riyadh as reigning champion, in one of the few happy moments of the current season, the Rossoneri would have to at least reach the final in Rome on May 14.

Here a separate chapter opens, because the formula for the next Supercoppa is not yet certain: it could remain with four teams – as in the last two editions – or be limited to two (the Italian champions against the winner of the Coppa Italia).

In the second case, it would be necessary to win the final at the Olimpico. The venue of the trophy (Saudi Arabia or elsewhere?), the revenue for the participants and the prize money are also not yet certain.

In Riyadh, Milan took home around €11m, winning the competition. Clearly, if they were to return to the formula with two teams, the prize money would be smaller. In any case, the mere participation guarantees more or less €2.5m in the four-team format and €3m in the two-team format.

By the way, Milan have not lifted two trophies in a single year since 2007-08. Back then it was the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup, today it could be the Supercoppa and the Coppa. Not quite the same, but it would at least give some meaning to a dreadful campaign.