Fiorentina and Roma are set to trade tackles at Stadio Artemio Franchi in Serie A’s European six-pointer on Sunday evening. There’s no room for error as the season heads into the final stretch.
Vincenzo Italiano’s side wasted a glorious opportunity to get their faltering top-six pursuit back on track. Despite going a man up in the first half against Torino last weekend, Fiorentina had to settle for a gut-wrenching 0-0 draw, losing further ground on the European spots.
They trail sixth-placed Atalanta by four points at the start of this round. But with La Dea heading to Turin to encounter Juventus, beating Roma would reignite La Viola’s hopes of securing a third consecutive season in continental action.
Fiorentina will take the field in high spirits after coming from behind to beat Maccabi Haifa 4-3 in Thursday’s Europa Conference League action. What to say about Roma, then? Daniele De Rossi’s high-flying troops put Brighton to the sword in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.
Scoring twice on either side of halftime propelled Giallorossi to a thumping 4-0 victory, extending their winning streak in all competitions to five matches. Moreover, Roma’s attacking potential has come to the fore under De Rossi, as evidenced by three straight matches in which they netted at least three goals.
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Fiorentina
Since a 2-0 defeat at Bologna in mid-February, Italiano’s men have alternated between winning and losing across four competitive games (W2, D2). That’s not the consistency level that would take them far, but confidence stems from their recent home showings.
Fiorentina have won their last two Serie A matches at Artemio Franchi via an aggregate score of 7-2, including a 2-1 comeback against fellow top-seven contenders Lazio. The hosts’ attacking setup often sparks to life after halftime, with La Viola bagging two second-half goals in three of their last four league fixtures in Tuscany.
Roma
Roma’s honeymoon period under De Rossi shows no signs of ending, with Giallorossi claiming an eye-catching eight wins in ten games under Jose Mourinho’s successor (D1, L1). Only four points adrift of fourth-placed Bologna, they’re back in the race for a first top-four finish since 2017/18.
But there’s no room for complacency, especially given Roma’s long-standing struggles on the road. De Rossi’s early tenure has turned their away fortunes around, with the capital-based outfit winning all three away league outings under the ex-midfielder.
However, all three victories came against the sides starting this round in the bottom half of the table.
Team News
Lucas Beltran is the only definite absentee in the Fiorentina camp. The Argentine has accumulated yellow cards. Italiano is still sweating over Lucas Martinez Quarta’s health status, but the dependable center-back should make the starting lineup.
On the other hand, Roma will be without long-term absentee Tammy Abraham and suspended Rasmus Kristensen. After a scintillating performance against Brighton, Zeki Celik should take the Dane’s place at right-back.
Fiorentina vs Roma Potential Lineups
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Pietro Terracciano; Michael Kayode, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Cristiano Biraghi; Alfred Duncan, Arthur; Nicolas Gonzalez, Giacomo Bonaventura, Andrea Sottil; Andrea Belotti.
Roma (4-3-3): Mile Svilar; Zeki Celik, Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Angelino; Edoardo Bove, Leandro Paredes, Lorenzo Pellegrini; Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku, Stephan El Shaarawy.
Fiorentina vs Roma Prediction
Fiorentina and Roma shared the spoils in an ill-tempered 1-1 draw in December’s reverse fixture. Nicola Zalewski and Romelu Lukaku picked up second-half red cards for Giallorossi, while the referee sent off Nikola Milenkovic in the dying moments for his furious reaction from the bench.
That was the first stalemate in this fixture since April 2019. In between, Roma claimed six wins against Fiorentina’s two but slipped to a 2-1 defeat at this venue last season. Given both teams’ current form, it’s hard to expect the visitors to give up points again.
It won’t be a walk in the park for Roma, but we back them to maintain their renaissance under De Rossi. Since Fiorentina will likely get on the scoresheet, Giallorossi must rely on their free-flowing frontlines to grab an all-important three points.
Prediction: Roma Win
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