Stadio Artemio Franchi is the venue as Fiorentina and Juventus go head-to-head in a tasty-looking Serie A showdown on Sunday evening. Let’s look at our match preview for this contest.
Little did Vincenzo Italiano know his high-flying Fiorentina side would fall from a high ground so quickly after demolishing reigning champions Napoli 3-1 on the eve of October’s international break. If it was the highlight moment of their early campaign, their post-pause form has been a low point.
A 6-0 hammering of Serbian outfit Cukaricki in the Europa Conference League was a mere consolation after Fiorentina shockingly slumped to a 2-0 home defeat to Empoli upon the Serie A return. While drawing with Lazio wouldn’t offer forgiveness, Italiano would’ve had no problems sharing the spoils at the Stadio Olimpico.
However, Nikola Milenkovic’s last-minute handball inside the box sent Ciro Immobile to the spot, and there was no salvation for Fiorentina as they slumped to a 1-0 heartbreak. It must have not only stunted their momentum but also damaged their morale ahead of this daunting-looking encounter against Juventus.
Though the visitors haven’t shined recently, they’ve proved well-versed in taking three points in challenging environments. Massimiliano Allegri’s side first capitalized on a numerical advantage to sink Milan 1-0 at the San Siro before Andrea Cambiaso’s last-gasp winner helped them take down Hellas Verona on home turf last weekend.
Buzzing from a three-game winning league streak ‘to nil,’ Juventus commence this round only two points adrift of pacesetters Inter as their first Scudetto challenge in four years looks off and running.
Match Preview
Fiorentina
Fiorentina’s bid to bounce back from a rough patch faces a formidable task, considering they face a Juventus side they’ve lost a club-record 86 matches against. But if it’s any consolation, they’ve avoided defeat in the last four meetings they’ve hosted (W1, D3), conceding an average of 0.5 goals per game.
Defensive resilience, combined with their typically fast starts, could be a recipe for success. Delivering action from the get-go, Italiano’s men have racked up a league-high 12 first-half goals this season, suggesting plenty of early action could be on the cards. And since they’ve scored in their last three home league H2Hs, it’s only a matter of time before they find a way past Wojciech Szczesny.
Player to Watch: Giacomo Bonaventura
He might be in the autumn of his career, but he’s playing his best football this season, already tallying four goals and two assists in ten Serie A appearances. Let’s not forget he opened his Italy account last month aged 34.
Juventus
Regardless of their superb string of results at the beginning of the new campaign, scoring has been an issue for Juventus. Their uneventful frontline has only netted five goals in their last five Serie A outings (W4, D1). Luckily, they’ve had a water-tight backline to watch their back.
With five consecutive clean sheets in the build-up to this trip, Juventus have re-established themselves as a defensive superpower in Serie A. Only Inter (5) have conceded fewer goals than Allegri’s lads (6) thus far, though it’s worth noting that 67% of those goals have come on the road.
Remarkably, four goals came in a 4-2 defeat at Sassuolo, while they’ve registered shutouts on their remaining four trips this term. That doesn’t change the fact Juventus’ away form requires immediate improvement. They’ve blown hot and cold across their last three Serie A travels (W1, D1, L1).
Player to Watch: Federico Chiesa
Returning to his old stomping ground, where he spent 15 years, the Italian winger is looking for his first goal against Fiorentina after three scoring blanks. Motivation shouldn’t be in short supply, knowing his last Serie A goal dates back to September.
Team News
Gaetano Castrovilli and Dodo will not be part of the Fiorentina squad this weekend, with prodigious right-back Michael Kayode facing a race against time to make the cut.
As for Juventus, Alex Sandro, Danilo, Paul Pogba, Nicolo Fagioli, Mattia De Sciglio, and Timothy Weah are not on Allegri’s list of travelers. The USMNT star’s absence probably means Fabio Miretti will return to the starting lineup.
Fiorentina vs Juventus Potential Lineups
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Pietro Terracciano; Cristiano Biraghi, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Nikola Milenkovic, Fabiano Parisi; Alfred Duncan, Arthur Melo; Nicolas Gonzalez, Giacomo Bonaventura, Jonathan Ikone; Lucas Beltran.
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer, Daniele Rugani; Andrea Cambiaso, Adrien Rabiot, Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie, Fabio Miretti; Federico Chiesa, Dusan Vlahovic.
Fiorentina vs Juventus Prediction
While we wouldn’t go as far as to back Fiorentina to knock Juventus off their perch, we can envisage the hosts grabbing a point here. Juve’s recent performances have flattered to deceive, and you can’t always expect to get away with a highway robbery.
Prediction: Draw
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