Federico Dimarco scored the only goal of the game as Inter kept their Coppa Italia defence on course with a 1-0 semi-final win over Juventus, securing a 2-1 aggregate triumph.
The Nerazzurri, who defeated Juve in last year's final, will face either Cremonese or Fiorentina – the latter leading 2-0 ahead of Thursday's second leg – in this season's showpiece on May 24 at Stadio Olimpico.
Inter headed into Wednesday's clash at San Siro with the semi-final tie finely poised at 1-1 after a fiery first leg, although Dimarco's neat first-half finish soon had Simone Inzaghi's hosts in control.
Edin Dzeko saw a strike ruled out for offside in the second half as Massimiliano Allegri's side crashed out of the Coppa with a whimper.
Inter started at a frenetic pace and should have taken a third-minute lead when Nicolo Barella's right-wing cross found Dzeko, who bundled wide at the back post.
Yet the hosts' early dominance was rewarded after 15 minutes as Dimarco coolly rolled into the bottom-left corner following Barella's delicate throughball.
A fine Andre Onana stop from Filip Kostic's arrowing drive was required to keep Inter's lead intact, while Mattia Perin denied a low Lautaro Martinez effort with an equally impressive save.
Another attempt from range by Fabio Miretti tested Onana after the interval, before Dzeko saw a driven finish chalked off for offside from Dimarco's pinpoint pass.
Perin thwarted Henrikh Mkhitaryan late on to limit the damage as Inter advanced into another Coppa final.
What does it mean? Inter alleviate Serie A concerns with more cup joy
Inter are facing a battle to finish in Italy's top four in Serie A for a place in Europe next season, but their cup exploits have kept the Nerazzurri faithful with reason to cheer.
Inzaghi's side are into the Champions League semi-finals, where they face fierce rivals Milan across a two-legged tie, while they remain on course to defend their Coppa Italia crown.
Juve, meanwhile, may have been buoyed by the reversal of their 15-point deduction in Serie A, but the Europa League now represents the Bianconeri's only chance of silverware this season.
Deadly Dimarco
Dimarco continues to be an unlikely source of goals for Inter this season, chipping in with the opener for his fifth strike in all competitions – four of those assisted by Barella.
Across the last 10 seasons for Inter, Achraf Hakimi (seven goals in 2020-21) is the only defender to manage more than Dimarco's tally in the 2022-23 campaign.
Strikerless plan fails for Allegri
Allegri opted to start without a recognised striker, leaving his only out-and-out number nine Arkadiusz Milik on the bench after choosing Federico Chiesa to play up top with Angel Di Maria.
The Juve coach soon introduced Milik at half-time but that did little to improve the Bianconeri's fortunes as they rarely tested Onana in a timid showing that belied their gutsy first-leg performance.
What's next?
Inter return to Serie A action at home to Lazio on Sunday, when Juventus visit Bologna.
Ferguson still better than Guardiola, says James
Former Manchester City goalkeeper David James hails Pep Guardiola for "doing remarkable things" but believes he is still not at Alex Ferguson’s level.
City became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive titles with their 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday, pipping Arsenal to the crown by two points.
Manchester United had previously won three consecutive Premier League seasons, achieving the feat twice under Ferguson (1998-2001 and 2006-2009).
Guardiola’s side can create more history on Saturday as they aim to clinch unprecedented back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles against the Red Devils.
Asked if this achievement put Guardiola’s name alongside Ferguson’s as the best Premier League manager, James, who spent two years with City, disagreed.
"No, Fergie's still the best. Look at statistics and longevity," James told Stats Perform. "And even more so, since Fergie left, what's happened to Manchester United.
"You can't even blame or use the excuse he had a good team and did well with it, Fergie rode the waves, he was up and down and even these downs weren't particularly bad.
"I think third or fourth was probably the worst they ever did; Fergie was the best and Pep will have to hang around for another decade, I think, before he can actually challenge that position.
"But what we're seeing at the moment, you've got a different style of football, a different type of game in so many different ways. The way the league is constructed at the moment with other competitions around it, Pep is having to do different things to what Fergie may have had to do.
"I know Fergie was a great manager, but not necessarily the greatest coach. Pep is a great manager and a great coach. He's also got an extra string to his bow in that sense.
"To be the winner of that league four years in a row, you need to be a superb manager. And I think Pep, in this short time frame, is doing some remarkable things, but he's going to have to hang around for a lot longer to take Ferguson's crown."
Following their victory over West Ham, Guardiola stated that he was "closer to leaving than staying", raising speculation that next season could be his last.
"I think the big question for Pep, and it is logical that he will now become the focus given that Jurgen Klopp announced his departure a few months ago, and all of a sudden it was nothing, but Jurgen and he will be the next focus," James added.
"I think the thing for Pep is, what does he want to do as a person? And it's not that he's completed the treble and that's enough because I think that he would want to do a treble treble, you want to do a quadruple.
"I can see that competitive side in him, he doesn't seem to change on the sidelines. Even yesterday, when they conceded the goal, and it was a fantastic goal from Kudus, he wasn't happy.
"I think you can still see that he's still animated, still engaged with the game. There's no question that he's feeling tired in that sense.
"I would like him to stay. I would like him to stay because I think when you've got someone so good, you need someone to beat them legitimately rather than them just step away and allow everyone else to play.
"I think he should stay. And I'm sure City will do everything they can to keep him in charge for the foreseeable future."
Putellas signs two-year deal with Barcelona
Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas has signed a two-year deal until 2026, the club announced on Thursday.
Putellas was due to be out of contract next month, but extends her 12-year relationship with Barcelona, with the new deal also including an option for an additional season.
The 30-year-old is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner in 2021 and 2022, though she has struggled with injuries that have kept her sidelined since winning the second.
Overall, she has made 424 appearances, scoring a record 189 goals for the club, playing a pivotal role in Barcelona’s recent domination in women’s football.
Putellas has won 29 major trophies with Barcelona and is looking for another on Saturday when they face Lyon in the Champions League final.
Having already clinched Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Supercopa this season, Putellas can help Barcelona to complete an unprecedented quadruple with a win over the French champions.
Montero hails Juventus fight as stunning comeback denies Bologna
Interim Juventus boss Paolo Montero praised his players' fight after they recovered from 3-0 down in the final 14 minutes to claim a 3-3 draw against Bologna in Serie A on Monday.
Juventus sacked Massimiliano Allegri last week in the aftermath of their Coppa Italia final victory over Atalanta, citing his fiery behaviour as a major factor in their decision.
On Monday, they came up against the man tipped to replace him in Bologna coach Thiago Motta, who saw his team race into a 3-0 lead within 53 minutes.
However, Federico Chiesa's 76th-minute effort kickstarted a stunning turnaround, with Arkadiusz Milik's free-kick soon after teeing up a grandstand finale.
Kenan Yildiz then scored an 84th-minute equaliser as the Bianconeri avoided defeat after trailing by three goals for the first time in their Serie A history.
While they have drawn each of their last six league games and could slip outside the top four on the final matchday, Montero believes they deserve credit for their efforts.
"In my view, the draw was the fair result," Montero told DAZN.
"The victory on Wednesday was important, mentally it drained them and to come here against one of the best teams at the moment like Bologna, you are going to struggle.
"After that dip in mentality, they fought back with pride and showed how much they care about the shirt."
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