Saturday’s Serie A action closes out with a handsomely-looking fixture at the Stadio Artemio Franchi between Fiorentina and Milan. With a challenging Champions League trip to Tottenham Hotspur waiting in the wings, the visitors will be looking to stay on the upward trajectory.
It took them almost two months, but Fiorentina returned to winning ways in Serie A last Monday, courtesy of a 3-0 demolition of relegation-threatened Hellas Verona at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi. Though Antonin Barak and Arthur Cabral fired La Viola to a 2-0 halftime cushion, Cristiano Biraghi’s 63-yard screamer stole the headlines.
But despite finally arresting an underwhelming six-game winless league run (D2, L4), Vincenzo Italiano’s men still have to grind their way toward another top-half finish. After dispatching Sporting Braga in their Europa Conference League knockout playoff tie, Fiorentina may drop their domestic ambitions in favor of potential continental glory. That premise may benefit Milan.
Following a ponderous seven-game winless streak in all competitions (D2, L5), Stefano Pioli has changed his formation to 3-5-2, leading to the reigning champions’ resurgence. Not only has Malick Thiaw’s integration into the starting lineup plugged the Rossoneri’s defensive leaks, but they have won their last four competitive games ‘to nil.’
Milan utterly outclassed Atalanta in last weekend’s 2-0 home triumph, making it three league wins on the trot to go level on points with second-placed Inter. And while their hopes of winning back-to-back champions for the first time in the 21st century are long off the table, a three-point lead on fifth-placed Roma means they are in a prime position to secure a third straight top-four finish.
Preview
Fiorentina
Fiorentina’s home record in Serie A this season is perfectly balanced (W4, D4, L4), but a three-game winless league streak at the Franchi spells trouble (D1, L2). Milan’s upcoming visit to town won’t dole out many favors either, with La Viola winning only three of their last 16 Serie A home duels against the Rossoneri (D6, L7).
Though it seems like a long shot, Fiorentina could win back-to-back top-flight games without conceding for the first time since January 2020 after the abovementioned humbling of Verona. But the reason there’s a low probability for that scenario lies in the fact Italiano’s men have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight home league outings.
Player to Watch: Riccardo Saponara
After making his Serie A debut in the Milan jersey in 2013, Riccardo Saponara has developed a strange habit of scoring against the Rossoneri. He has netted his personal-high four league goals against his former club, making him a serious threat to watch out for on Saturday.
Milan
After netting in eight consecutive Serie A encounters against Fiorentina, Milan are only two matches short of equalling the club record ten-game scoring streak against them in Italy’s elite competition. On top of that, the Rossoneri have beaten La Viola in their last two league H2Hs and could make it three on the bounce for the first time since 2011.
But playing on the road has recently been challenging for Milan. Before a narrow 1-0 triumph at Serie A debutants Monza on their last Serie A travel, Pioli’s lads had gone winless in three consecutive away league fixtures (D1, L2). There’s still a reason for optimism as they welcomed Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mike Maignan back against Atalanta.
Player to Watch: Junior Messias
After a relatively quiet start to the new calendar year, Junior Messias hit the ground running in late February, scoring in Milan’s last two Serie A matches, including a winner at Monza.
Team News
Despite being forced to deal with a tight fixture schedule, Fiorentina won’t have a single injury concern this weekend.
Meanwhile, Milan’s treatment room is no longer as packed as it used to be at the turn of 2023. Apart from Davide Calabria and Ismael Bennacer, Pioli will have the rest of his squad fit for this trip. However, Rafael Leao will be on the sidelines after accumulating yellow cards.
Fiorentina vs Milan Potential Lineups
Fiorentina (4-3-3): Pietro Terracciano; Dodo, Nikola Milenkovic, Igor, Cristiano Biraghi; Giacomo Bonaventura, Sofyan Amrabat, Mandragora; Nicolas Gonzalez, Arthur Cabral, Riccardo Saponara.
Milan (3-4-2-1): Mike Maignan; Pierre Kalulu, Malick Thiaw, Fikayo Tomori; Alexis Saelemaekers, Sandro Tonali, Ismael Bennacer, Theo Hernandez; Charles De Ketelaere, Ante Rebic; Olivier Giroud.
Fiorentina vs Milan Prediction
With Milan flying high again, we back them to triumph here despite Fiorentina’s rampant performance at Verona.
Prediction: Milan Win
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