Genoa go into their Coppa Italia tie with Sudtirol carrying more pressure than a routine second-round game should. Daniele De Rossi’s side are still winless after four Serie A matchdays, and the winner will go to Inter Milan in the last 16. The mood is already tight after a 1-1 draw with Frosinone in which Genoa finally took their first point.
Genoa's shaky league start
That league start has been messy enough to shape the cup night. Genoa have taken just one point from their last five league matches, conceded seven goals across their first three games and allowed Frosinone 26 attempts in the draw that stopped the losing run from stretching any further.
Johan Vásquez summed up the problem in one match. He scored Genoa’s 50th-minute equaliser against Frosinone, then was sent off late on. Sports Mole’s preview desk put it plainly: “Following such a slow start to their league campaign, ex-Roma coach De Rossi will be under pressure to avoid an early exit in the cup.”
Sudtirol's chance to make it awkward
Sudtirol do not look like a side arriving just to fill the bracket. They have eight points from a possible 12 in the league, led Modena through Alvin Okoro’s first-half strike before conceding an 88th-minute leveller, and Sports Mole also described them as being full of confidence on Tuesday.
That is enough to give Genoa a proper problem, especially with a last-16 trip to Inter Milan waiting for the winner. Genoa beat Ascoli 4-1 in the first round of this season’s Coppa Italia, but this is a different test and a more awkward one. Sudtirol have already shown they can hang around in a game and Genoa have not yet looked settled enough to wave this one through.
The pressure point is simple. De Rossi needs a clean response after the Frosinone draw and Vasquez’s red card, and Genoa need to make sure the path does not stop here.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
