Serie A champion Inter aiming for the double in Italian Cup final, Lazio eyeing Europe

MILAN (AP) — Just four days after facing off against each other in the league, Lazio and Inter Milan meet again at the Stadio Olimpico. This time with a title at stake.

And both teams know that winning Wednesday’s Italian Cup final would mean much more than lifting the trophy.

For newly-crowned Serie A champion Inter Milan it is a chance to cement its domination of Italian soccer this season after the disappointment of last year. For Lazio, it is a path back into Europe.

Not since José Mourinho led Inter to a treble in 2010 — including the Champions League trophy — has Inter won the league and cup in the same season.

Inter coach Christian Chivu, who is quickly making a name for himself in the managerial ranks after helping Parma avoid relegation last season, played on the 2010 team.

“There’s no need to compare different eras or different teams,” Chivu said. “Times change, soccer changes.

“Both the 2010 team and this 2026 side have brought happiness to the fans, and that’s what matters most.”

Chivu is in his first season at Inter after replacing Simone Inzaghi. Doing the double would assuage the disappointment of last campaign, which promised so much but ultimately left Inter empty-handed.

With just over a month to go to the end of last season, Inter was on course for a treble of trophies but finished one point below Serie A champion Napoli, lost in the Italian Cup semifinals and was routed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the most lopsided Champions League final in history.

There is no chance of a treble this year as Inter was eliminated by Norwegian upstart Bodø/Glimt in the Champions League.

The Nerazzurri have bounced back from that disappointment and, after clinching the Serie A title with three rounds to spare, show little sign of letting up.

Indeed Inter crushed Lazio 3-0 on Saturday in Serie A, in a dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s cup final in the same stadium in Rome.

Inter was utterly dominant in the first half but Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri placed the blame on his players’ approach.

“Inter is stronger, but with this attitude we would concede two goals against any team,” Sarri said after the match. “We shouldn’t be scared, that attitude is our fault and not down to the merits of Inter.

“(The final) will be a different match and it’s clear that we don’t want to have this approach, it’s also clear that Inter is technically superior.”

For Lazio, it is the only chance to play European soccer next season as the winner of the Italian Cup qualifies for the Europa League.

If Inter — which will play in the Champions League next season — wins, then the Europa League place will be given to the team which finishes sixth in the league, with the seventh-place finisher going into the European Conference League.

Lazio is ninth, seven points below seventh-place Atalanta, with only two league matches remaining.

“There’s no need to change our heads, today’s approach is the result of the fact that today’s match didn’t count for anything unlike Wednesday,” Sarri said. “But it is a mistake to think like that, there was some chance of reaching seventh place and these matches can create fear, which stops you.

“It’s not ideal, but I hope the boys are willing to show that this isn’t them because there’s a trophy up for grabs.”

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Inter Milan's head coach Cristian Chivu celebrates their victory at the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Parma, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Lazio's Gustav Isaksen, left, and Inter Milan's Luis Henrique vie for the ball during a Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Inter Milan, in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's Petar Sucic celebrates after scoring during the Serie A soccer match between Lazio and Inter Milan, in Rome, Italy, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, left, controls the ball from Lazio's Adam Marušić during a Serie A soccer match, in Rome, Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Fabrizio Corradetti/LaPresse via AP)

Inter Milan's head coach Cristian Chivu celebrates their victory at the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Parma, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

HONOLULU (AP) — Tropical Storm Lala is expected to strengthen to a hurricane before reaching Hawaii's Big Island this weekend, forecasters said Friday, bringing heavy rains that can cause destructive flooding and strong winds that can fuel wildfires.

The National Hurricane Center said Lala should be at hurricane strength by the time it approaches the Big Island Saturday.

If it makes landfall there, it would be the first to hit the island since 1871. Back then, according to a University of Hawaii atmospheric scientist's research of newspaper accounts, a Category 3 hurricane hit the northeast corner of the island, said Vanessa Almanza, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“First time since satellites,” Almanza said. “The latest forecast has it very close to the southern tip of the Big Island.”

A hurricane warning was issued for the Big Island, and a tropical storm warning was in effect for Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe.

Officials and residents braced for Lala regardless of whether Hawaii takes a direct hit. Shelters were scheduled to open, and various events were canceled.

“It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” Almanza said. “A lot of the impacts are felt outside of the hurricane.”

The National Hurricane Center predicted 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of rainfall totals across Maui and the Big Island, with maximum totals as high as 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) in some spots on the Big Island. Four to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimeters) were expected across the island chain.

The center also warned that the storm could cause “life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” along with a dangerous storm surge and ocean swells “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”

“Suffice it to say, this is an enormous storm,” Gov. Josh Green said.

State Rep. Jeanné Kapela, who represents communities that are in the storm's possible track, traveled to the Big Island from Honolulu on Friday morning and called for people to be on alert.

The southern end of the island is remote and rural but growing in population because of its affordability. Kapela said she was especially worried about people who live off the grid in unpermitted structures. The area's agriculture includes coffee and cattle.

“We're encouraging residents to take this storm seriously, remain vigilant, and get somewhere safe before conditions deteriorate,” she said in a text message to The Associated Press as her flight took off. “We're hopeful the storm moves through quickly, but we're preparing for whatever comes.”

Green urged residents to be ready: “If you feel now that your house doesn’t have a great roof or might not be able to withstand hurricane force winds, then first things first you go to a family or friend's house and you kind of hunker down there."

Kapela also noted that many parts of the state are still reeling from devastating flooding in March, saying, “We know how quickly heavy rain and flooding can impact our rural communities.”

Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, said growers are always concerned when there is a threat of a lot of water in a short amount time. But those still recovering from the spring floods, including on Oahu’s North Shore, were worried about suffering more damage.

Coffee farmer Bruce Corker said it was “sunny and beautiful” Friday in Holualoa, on the west side of the Big Island, and the island's only Costco seemed normal a day earlier. Still, he said, the prospect of “streams overflowing and high winds” was worrisome.

As winds ramped up across the islands, there were no red flag warnings in place but Almanza said the dry and breezy conditions would still elevate fire concerns.

In 2023 the Maui town of Lahaina burned during extreme winds amid a hurricane passing far to the south of Hawaii.

“Since the fire, everybody is way more aware of weather in general and our environment and things that are happening,” said Archie Kalepa of Lahaina, who is well known in the area for his surfing, paddling and other ocean skills and has been watching the storm closely.

As of Friday afternoon, Tropical Storm Lala was located about 275 miles (440 kilometers) east-southeast of South Point, Hawaii, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving toward the west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph).

The wind speed threshold for a Category 1 hurricane is 74 mph (46 kph).

“I wouldn’t be afraid of what’s to come, just be prepared,” said Steven Businger, the University of Hawaii professor whose research found information about the hurricane that hit the Big Island 155 years ago.

Lala has the potential to make landfall with damaging winds, he said, but its path was trending south with every forecast.

“The Big Island is furthest south and furthest east, so it has the greatest probability of having a hurricane hit,” he said. “However, historically Kauai has seen the most landfalls.”

Kauai, which is several islands northwest up the archipelago from the Big Island, saw Hurricane Iniki make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in 1992. That, like this year, was an El Nino year. Pacific hurricane activity increases during El Nino, a warming of the Pacific near the equator that affects weather patterns across the globe.

Iniki, the last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii, was following a southern trajectory before it turned up and hit Kauai, the governor said.

“It did $3 billion worth of damage. It destroyed thousands of homes, and it did kill six people,” he said. “So we just can never know if a storm is going to turn.”

This NOAA satellite image taken at 5:22 p.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, shows Tropical Storm Lala as it approaches Hawaii's Big Island. (NOAA via AP)