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Fiorentina are in a transitional season and I Viola are not playing well at all at the moment as they prepare for one of the bigger games of the season by welcoming seven-time European champions AC Milan to the Artemio Franchi this weekend.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Sunday 6th October, 2024 - UK – 7:45pm / US ET – 2:45pm / US PT – 11:45am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Select matches will be televised on CBS Sports so it is worth checking their schedule
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ OR OneFootball / US – Paramount+
FIORENTINA PREVIEW: LACKING FLUENCY AND FLUIDITY
In each of the last two seasons, Fiorentina have reached the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League before losing both finals late on against West Ham United and Olympiakos respectively. Vincenzo Italiano departed the club in the summer and a rebuild has been required now under the management of former Monza boss Raffaele Palladino.
They come into this one on the back of an unconvincing victory against Cymru Premier champions The New Saints in the UEFA Europa Conference League in midweek, eventually winning by two goals to nil. That poor performance, though, comes after just one win in their opening six Serie A matches.
AC MILAN PREVIEW: ROSSONERI’S INCONSISTENCY
Coached by Stefano Pioli, AC Milan won the league title in 2022 but have since drifted a touch to a point where he was more or less forced out by the Rossoneri supporters over the summer to be replaced by former Lille, Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca, who failed to win any of his opening three matches to leave himself in trouble.
Milan suffered a 1-0 defeat to German champions Bayer Leverkusen in midweek to mean they have started their UEFA Champions League campaign with two defeats. However, hammerings of Venezia and Lecce either side of a dramatic Derby della Madonnina victory against Internazionale have steadied things in the league.
FIORENTINA TEAM NEWS: STILL NO PONGRACIC
Fiorentina have switched away from the back four that was exclusively used by Vincenzo Italiano to play a back three that is the preference of Palladino.
He is, though, dealing with one major issue which is the injury absence of big money summer signing Marin Pongracic, who has had a tough start to life at the Artemio Franchi.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Bove, Cataldi; Colpani, Gudmundsson, Kouame; Kean
UNAVAILABLE: Pongracic (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
AC MILAN TEAM NEWS: PLENTY OF OPTIONS
After healing a slight feud between himself and key players Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao, AC Milan will be able to name an unchanged eleven for this weekend’s trip to Florence.
There are still a few experienced players missing through injury such as goalkeeper Marco Sportiello, as well as Alessandro Florenzi and Ismael Bennacer.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson Royal, Gabbia, Tomori, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Alvaro Morata, Leao; Abraham
UNAVAILABLE: Sportiello (Injured), Florenzi (Injured), Bennacer (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
FIORENTINA VS AC MILAN PREDICTION
In recent seasons, Fiorentina have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in Italy but, as shown by their frustrating and hard-fought 2-0 defeat of TNS in midweek, they are lacking a certain level of fluency. They now face an AC Milan side that have begun to turn this around, domestically at least, and do have an abundance of attacking options with a Milan win seeming the likeliest outcome for this one.
FIORENTINA VS AC MILAN TIP: AC MILAN TO WIN