A handsomely-looking clash between familiar foes Fiorentina and Milan drops the curtain on Sunday’s packed Serie A schedule. There’s plenty at stake for both teams as they renew hostilities at Stadio Artemio Franchi ahead of October’s international break.
Fiorentina must have expected a more eye-catching Serie A start after a raft of summer signings and Raffaele Palladino’s appointment as a new chief of staff. However, the former Monza manager has overseen just one win in the opening six league matches, establishing La Viola as early ‘stalemate specialists’ (D4, L1).
Palladino’s side produced an uneventful display in the last Serie A round, drawing 0-0 against fellow Tuscan rivals Empoli at Stadio Carlo Castellani. They followed that disappointing showing with a routine 2-0 home triumph against Welsh champions TNS in midweek UEFA Europa Conference League action to set themselves up nicely for this fixture.
Unlike their hosts, Milan suffered another European upset on Tuesday. Defending Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen condemned Paulo Fonseca’s team to a second consecutive defeat at the start of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League campaign. Victor Boniface’s second-half winner determined a dramatic contest at the BayArena.
Keen to bounce back from a narrow 1-0 loss in Germany, Milan head to Artemio Franchi, looking to extend a three-game winning streak in Serie A. They humbled Lecce 3-0 at Stadio San Siro last Friday to close the gap on table-topping Napoli to only two points going into this round.
Match Preview
Fiorentina
Except for a come-from-behind 2-1 home triumph against Lazio in their last home league outing, it’s been a grim Serie A start for Fiorentina. But they should still take the field in high spirits after racking up a three-match unbeaten run in all competitions (W2, D1), bookended by a landmark 100th victory in European football.
More confidence stems from a newfound defensive solidity, with La Viola registering two consecutive clean sheets for the first time since April. Palladino will likely rely on his team’s strength at the back to try and protect Fiorentina’s handsome 12-game undefeated streak across all competitions on this ground (W7, D5).
The hosts must pay close attention to their leaky first-half showings, though. Before this Matchday 7, no team has conceded more league goals before the halftime interval than Fiorentina’s seven. Another underwhelming start could be detrimental against a Milan side they lost to in both top-flight encounters last season.
Milan
Milan scraped a 2-1 win in this corresponding fixture last term. But that doesn’t mean they can afford to take this trip lightly, especially considering their two previous league visits to Artemio Franchi ended in defeats. Fans can expect a goal fest, nonetheless.
The last four Serie A meetings between Fiorentina and Milan in Tuscany have featured over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet, highlighting the potential for a high-scoring contest. Action-packed games have been a running theme during Fonseca’s early tenure at San Siro, especially in Serie A.
Indeed, each of Milan’s six league matches this season has produced at least three goals. However, leaving the comforts of their home remains a significant issue for the Rossoneri. Milan bested arch-rivals Inter 2-1 as nominal visitors in their last Serie A ‘away’ match.
Yet, they haven’t tasted victory outside San Siro across their last seven competitive outings (D3, L4). Perhaps quick-fire starts could flip that script, with eight of Milan’s nine goals during that three-game winning league streak arriving before halftime.
Team News
Fiorentina will be without Croatian center-back Marin Pongracic. But Lucas Martinez Quarta and Luca Ranieri return to the fold after serving UEFA suspensions, increasing Palladino’s options at the back. Albert Gudmundsson should join Moise Kean and Andrea Colpani up front.
As for Milan, Ismael Bennacer, Malick Thiaw, Marco Sportiello, and Alessandro Florenzi are still out. Davide Calabria has recovered from a muscular problem, but Emerson Royal should retain his place at right-back. After starting on the bench against Leverkusen, Alvaro Morata should return to the starting XI at the expense of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Fiorentina vs Milan Potential Line-ups
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Lucas Martinez Quarta, Pietro Comuzzo, Luca Ranieri; Dodo, Danilo Cataldi, Edoardo Bove, Robin Gosens; Andrea Colpani, Albert Gudmundsson; Moise Kean.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Mike Maignan; Emerson Royal, Matteo Gabbia, Strahinja Pavlovic, Theo Hernandez; Youssouf Fofana, Tijjani Reijnders; Christian Pulisic, Alvaro Morata, Rafael Leao; Tammy Abraham.
Fiorentina vs Milan Prediction
Fiorentina have proved hard to beat in Tuscany, even though they’ve struggled to turn draws into victories this season. Milan’s domestic form soared after a sluggish start, but we expect these teams to share the spoils at this stadium for the first time since 2020.
Prediction: Draw
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