Allegri & Gasperini prepare for their 29th battle – Who has the upper hand?

Max Allegri and Gian Piero Gasperini will be sitting in opposite dugouts for the 29th time when Juventus and Atalanta lock horns in the Coppa Italia final.

The big showdown will take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday night.

Both managers will be hungry for silverware. Allegri has yet to lift a trophy since his return to Turin in 2021, while Gasperini is still seeking his first medal with La Dea.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (via IlBianconero) looked back on the two managers’ previous 28 meetings.

Overall, the Bianconeri boss has the upper hand thanks to 12 victories over his colleague. Ten meetings ended in draws, while the Atalanta coach prevailed on six occasions.

However, their most recent battles have been much more balanced. Since Allegri’s return to Juventus, each man has registered an away victory while four matches ended in draws.

Moreover, Gasperini had emerged victorious in their first two meetings ever. This dates back to the 2008/09 season when the latter was in charge of Genoa while Allegri was still making his bones at Cagliari.

The Livorno native then enjoyed a five-match winning run over Gasperini between 2015 and 2017. This was when Juventus were at the peak of their powers.

Nevertheless, the Atalanta coach avenged himself by eliminating Allegri from the Coppa Italia in 2019 with a 3-0 victory that ended Juve’s four-year dominance over the competition.

That being said, tomorrow’s clash could go down in history as the most significant chapter in this old rivalry.