Saturday’s Serie A action rounds off at Stadio Artemio Franchi as Fiorentina and Milan trade tackles in a handsomely-looking fixture. Room for error is thin for the home side as they bid to secure European football via a top-seven finish, which could potentially spell trouble for the high-flying visitors.
As odd as it sounds, Fiorentina are the only team in Serie A still competing on three fronts. It means Vincenzo Italiano’s men face a tight schedule down the final stretch, highlighting the importance of game-time management for key players, more so ahead of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie against Atalanta.
Fiorentina went into March’s international break stuck in eighth in the Serie A table after drawing three of their last four league matches (W1). A 2-2 stalemate against Roma in their most recent top-flight outing was particularly frustrating as La Viola conceded a 95th-minute equalizer after Cristiano Biraghi failed to make it 3-1 from the spot.
On the other hand, frustration seems to be a matter of the past for visiting Milan. Stefano Pioli’s team stitched together five victories across all competitions before the international break, including a 7-3 aggregate triumph against Slavia Praha in the Europa League last-16 to set up a mouth-watering quarter-final tie against Roma.
In addition to their impressive continental exploits, Rossoneri have excelled in Serie A, racking up a three-game winning streak, bookended by a 3-1 demolition of Hellas Verona, to leapfrog Juventus into second. But a 13-point deficit on runaway leaders Inter means the Scudetto is probably off the table despite Milan’s upturn in form.
Match Preview
Fiorentina
Despite going unbeaten in their last six games across all competitions (W2, D4), Fiorentina must overcome their habit of conceding late to increase their chances of beating Milan in a third consecutive duel in Tuscany. Italiano’s men have dropped points in their last two home outings courtesy of capitulating beyond the 85th minute.
On a more positive note, the hosts have suffered just one defeat in their last 13 home matches (W9, D3), losing to Serie A pacesetters Inter. Such a formidable home form has kept Fiorentina in contention for their first top-five finish since 2015/16. They trail fifth-placed Roma, but with a game in hand, they haven’t given up their hopes of hauling back that gap.
Milan
Leaving San Siro will unlikely faze Milan, knowing they’re one of only two Serie A teams to have scored on each top-flight travel this season. Entertainment has been a common theme on their recent domestic travels, with six of the last seven featuring 4+ goals, including the abovementioned humbling of Verona on the cusp of the international break.
The upcoming clash in Florence will probably stay in line with that trend, considering Milan’s last three away league games against Fiorentina have produced 15 goals (W1, L2). Pioli’s free-flowing frontline seems destined to hold up their end of the bargain, having netted multiple goals in nine of their ten Serie A games on the road since late October.
However, Milan’s fragile backline only kept one clean sheet during that sequence, derailing the visitors’ hopes of registering their first shutout in Tuscany since 2019.
Team News
Besides the suspended Giacomo Bonaventura, Fiorentina will be without Christian Kouame and Oliver Christensen due to health issues. Antonin Barak and Lucas Beltran are the two candidates to take the Italian’s place behind on-loan forward Andrea Belotti. But the Argentine will likely line up alongside Nicolas Gonzalez and Andrea Sottil behind the Roma loanee.
As for Milan, long-term absentee Tommaso Pobega has got company in the treatment room after Pierre Kalulu renewed his knee injury. Pioli’s chief concern is Theo Hernandez’s absence for accumulated yellow cards, meaning Alessandro Florenzi should operate as a makeshift left-back.
Fiorentina vs Milan Potential Lineups
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Pietro Terracciano; Michael Kayode, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Luca Ranieri, Cristiano Biraghi; Arthur Melo, Rolando Mandragora; Nicolas Gonzalez, Lucas Beltran, Andrea Sottil; Andrea Belotti.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Davide Calabria, Fikayo Tomori, Malick Thiaw, Alessandro Florenzi; Ismael Bennacer, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Rafael Leao; Olivier Giroud.
Fiorentina vs Milan Prediction
Milan’s form resurgence sets them up nicely to put their recent struggles in Florence to bed, and we expect them to do just that. Since Fiorentina will probably score against Pioli’s porous backline, Rossoneri will have to be at their best in the front third, leading us to believe an action-packed contest could be in store.
Prediction: Milan Win
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