Tragedy-stricken Fiorentina resume their footballing action as they welcome AC Milan for a tough encounter in Serie A.
On the eve of the Serie A clash with Atalanta, Viola general manager Joe Barone was taken ill to the hospital, where he passed away moments later. The fixture was subsequently called off, and after a fortnight of inaction, Fiorentina will resume their footballing action by hosting AC Milan.
During the break, manager Vincenzo Italiano also announced that he would leave in the summer, which has now added to the task of finding a new man at the helm. On the footballing side, Fiorentina have had a decent season so far, having maintained their eighth place on the table and angling for another appearance in next season’s Conference League.
Speaking of the third-tier European tournament, Fiorentina recently made it to the quarterfinals of the Conference League and faced Viktoria Plzen. They are also about to face Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semifinals, meaning the Viola have plenty to play for. But before that, they must overcome the strong challenge posed by visitors AC Milan.
Stefano Pioli will want to continue on the club’s path to secure a top-two finish, as it will represent some measurement of success compared to the previous campaign. Juventus were at one stage chasing the title, although results in the last few weeks have rendered them fighting for the second spot.
Juventus have continued to falter, which allowed Milan to chase them down, and the results on the last matchday before the international break gave the Rossoneri some room and tightened their grip in the second spot.
AC Milan beat Hellas Verona in the previous round, which has allowed them to open up a three point gap over the Bianconeri. Pioli and his men will look to maintain that lead heading into the weekend as they take on Europe-chasing Fiorentina in this all-important clash.
Team News & Tactics
Fiorentina
Vincenzo Italiano has an entire squad at his disposal, barring backup goalkeeper Oliver Christensen, who will go through an assessment before the game. Fiorentina will be missing joint-top scorer Giacomo Bonaventura due to a suspension, as he must serve a one-match ban.
Lucas Beltran should comfortably replace Bonaventura in the lineup, as he will want to make a mark alongside joint-top scorer Nico Gonzalez. In defence, Italiano will prefer Lucas Martinez Quarta and Luca Ranieri in his central defensive roles. Michael Kayode and Cristiano Biraghi will be selected for the full-back roles.
Arthur will maintain his spot in central midfield, with Rolando Mandragora, his partner in the middle. With Beltran stationed in the attacking midfield role, he will have Gonzalez and Jonathan Ikone on either side. Andrea Belotti will lead the line for Fiorentina and will aim to improve his record in front of the goal.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Kayode, Martinez, Ranieri, Biraghi; Arthur, Mandragora; Ikone, Beltran, Gonzalez; Belotti
AC Milan
AC Milan are also missing critical stars ahead of this visit to Florence, with left-back Theo Hernandez missing out due to a suspension. The Frenchman scored the winner in the reverse fixture earlier this season from the penalty spot. Milan have not fared well without the attacking full-back in their side, which Stefano Pioli will see as a big test of the team’s character.
Tommaso Pobega and Pierre Kalulu remain sidelined, while Simon Kjaer picked up a knock on international duty which puts him as doubtful. Ismael Bennacer is also a doubt for this game, although Pioli might not have started him in his preferred midfield pairing.
Hence, at the back, Fikayo Tomori and Matteo Gabbia will pair up at the heart of the defence, while Alessandro Florenzi might switch to the left side to cover for Hernandez. That would mean a recall for Davide Calabria at right-back, with Marco Sportiello stationed between the sticks for AC Milan.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek will undoubtedly want to continue with his recent good form for Milan and will have the support of Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic on either side. With rumours surrounding Olivier Giroud’s imminent move to the US gathering pace, the Frenchman will continue to lead the line for Pioli’s side and remains the club’s top scorer this season with 12 league goals.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sportiello; Calabria, Gabbia, Tomori, Florenzi; Adli, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Giroud
Key Stats
- Fiorentina have scored at least two goals in their last three home matches against AC Milan in all competitions.
- Fiorentina have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five home matches.
- AC Milan have won their last three matches in Serie A.
- AC Milan have won five of their last six away games in Serie A.
- AC Milan have only two wins in their last eight visits to Florence.
Player to Watch
Olivier Giroud
The Frenchman may have come to his last leg as a Milan or even a European player. The veteran striker might make the move away from the club and begin a new challenge in the US with the MLS. In any case, he would want to end the season on a high, and indeed as the club’s top scorer this season, before exiting.
Giroud knows there is plenty to play for until the end of the campaign and will want to give his best while keeping backup strikers like Luka Jovic and Noah Okafor on the bench for as long as possible. While he might not manage to win another trophy here, the Frenchman will want to begin his farewell tour on a high with a top performance against Fiorentina.
Prediction
Fiorentina 1-2 AC Milan
Fiorentina have had a favourable record against AC Milan in Florence and will want to continue hurting Stefano Pioli’s men in all ways possible. With home advantage also a factor, the Viola boss will enjoy a strong performance from his players to set the marker and keep pace with their quest to make it into European places.
AC Milan will come to Florence under some pressure to keep their grip on the second spot. Pioli will have the tools to engineer a big win here, but the Rossoneri manager will expect a tough fight from the home team here. In the end, AC Milan have the firepower to take three points, and in doing so, they will maintain the gap with Juventus on the table.