2026-2027 Coppa Italia: Palermo vs. Mantova, Probable Lineups

The only match in the Coppa Italia Round of 32 featuring two Serie B teams, the Palermo vs. Mantova game is also important for one of the tournament’s eight top seeds, Bologna, which will face the winner in the Round of 16. The match will be played at the “Renzo Barbera” stadium in Palermo at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 3; the designated referee is Davide Di Marco of the Ciampino Referees’ Association.

Palermo has started the season as well as it could have: after a 2-0 victory over Lecce in the Round of 32 of the Coppa Italia on August 17 (goals by Vavassori and Pohjanpalo), they picked up six points in the first two league matchdays, thanks to wins against Juve Stabia at home (1-0, goal by Johnsen) and Arezzo on the road (3-2, with Johnsen and Ranocchia scoring to make it 2-0, Augello in the 94th minute after the Tuscan side had managed to equalize in the second half).

Mantova, too, has maintained a perfect record so far in official matches, starting with a sensational 2-0 victory over Lazio at the Olimpico thanks to late goals by Ruocco and Cajazzo. The league season, on the other hand, began with a 2-1 away win against Carrarese (with goals by Ruocco and Ilie), followed by a 3-1 victory at the “Danilo Martelli” stadium against Empoli—a comeback win in the second half—with Ruocco, Vlahovic, and Benaissa-Yahia finding the net after Saporiti’s early goal put them behind.

Probable Lineups

PALERMO (4-2-3-1): Fortin; Cassandro, Magnani, Barba, Bozzolan; Gomes, Estevez; Gyasi, Palumbo, Vavassori; Gabrielloni. Head Coach: Inzaghi.

MANTOVA (3-4-2-1): Bardi; Kospo, Cella, Castellini; Silva, Kouda, Longonda, Benaissa-Yahia; Cajazzo, Ruocco; Vlahovic. Head coach: Modesto.