The Coppa Italia tournament, traditionally reviled by the Italian public and often used by the top teams as a kind of training ground for talented youngsters, has been revamped by the Italian FA to try and recapture the public's attention after poor attendances and a limited TV audience.
No Serie C sides will be involved, so 42 teams will be participating, 20 from Serie A and 22 from Serie B. The first three rounds and the Final will be single-legged ties, while the rest will be two-legged encounters as usual.
Napoli and Genoa, who finished second and third respectively in Serie B last season, will play in the first round. Juventus meanwhile move straight into the third round.
In the third round Serie A sides who finished between 9th and 17th will enter the competition. The already known clashes are Juventus-Parma and Cagliari-Siena, which are both programmed for 29 August.
Cup holders Roma will enter the fray in the fourth round along with the teams who finished within the first 7 places in Serie A last year.
The opening round will see relegated sides Ascoli and Chievo face newly promoted Serie B sides Ravenna and Avellino respectively.
The Final is scheduled for May 24 2008 with the venue yet to be decided.
First Round
Rimini – Frosinone
Treviso - Lecce
Messina – Vicenza
Bari – Albinoleffe
Bologna – Modena
Triestina – Mantova
Piacenza – Spezia
Ravenna – Chievo
Genoa – Grosseto
Napoli - Cesena
Avellino – Ascoli
Napoli – Cesena
Pisa - Brescia
The first round clashes are scheduled for 15 August.