Coppa Italia Quarterfinals • Milan-Torino Preview: Gutted

Sometimes, there are just no words. I have spent the day in denial and then in tears and then in denial again about the loss of NBA legend and lifelong Milan fan, Kobe Bryant, as well as the loss of his daughter and the other passengers aboard that helicopter. I watched Kobe his whole career, and watched him as a father, too, and saw the great things he had accomplished after retiring from basketball, as well. This one was just too close to home. I know that those of us left behind must keep going, but it doesn’t change the fact that I feel absolutely gutted.

Ciao, Kobe

Speaking of gutted, Torino come into this match after being destroyed 7-0 by Atalanta and finishing on nine men in their Serie A match on Saturday. Whether they will react or be deflated when they face us on Tuesday remains to be seen. 

For that fateful match, Mazzarri lined up Sirigu; Izzo, Nkoulou, Djidji; De Silvestri, Meité, Lukic, our old pal Laxalt; ex-Milan youth Verdi, Berenguer; and Belotti. Although Izzo and Lukic were sent off, that suspension applies only to Serie A matches, so they would still be available for this one. Mazzarri was missing Zaza, Ansaldi, and Baselli to injury for that match, it is unclear as of this writing whether or not any of them will be available for this one.

It was a really bad day at the office

Pioli comes into this one with four wins in a row, including a 1-0 victory over Brescia on Friday. He will still be missing Duarte, Calabria, and Biglia for this match due to injury, but should otherwise have a full squad, an extra day of rest, and home advantage for this match. Typically, the second keeper will play in the Coppa matches, but with Begovic being brand new, it’s not clear yet which keeper he will line up. Certainly, Antonio deputized for his little brother well enough against SPAL, so hopefully no matter who plays, they can help maintain a clean sheet.

We've got backup

I am hoping that Milan will honor Kobe with a Mamba Mentality performance for this match. Having grown up in Italy while his father played basketball in the Italian leagues, Kobe was not only fluent in Italian, but also always made it very clear that he was a Milan fan. “If you cut my left arm, it bleeds black and red, if you cut my right arm it bleeds purple and gold (for the Lakers.)”

There is a new star in the sky tonight over Los Angeles, and another little angel, too. As a lifelong Lakers fan and Milan fan as well, I can only hope that Kobe will never be forgotten, but rather live on in our hearts and in the future performances of Milan. Tonight, my heart is absolutely gutted.

Ciao

This post inspired by the legendary Kobe Bryant. RIP Mamba.

Our next match is

Coppa Italia Quarterfinals

Milan vs. Torino

Tuesday, January 28 • 20:45 CET (2:45pm EST)

This match can be streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S.