Sunday’s Serie A program closes out at Stadio Artemio Franchi with a handsomely-looking showdown between European hopefuls Fiorentina and Roma. Both teams head into proceedings in a buoyant mood after emerging victorious from their European contests on Thursday.
Fiorentina upheld their perfect two-game start to their third consecutive UEFA Europa Conference League campaign with a come-from-behind 4-2 away triumph to Swiss outfit St. Gallen. Jordan Ikone’s second-half brace set the tone for La Viola’s second two-goal margin win in Europe this term after dispatching Welsh minnows TNS 2-0 at home on matchday one.
Those two victories form part of Fiorentina’s four-game winning streak across all competitions, including a scintillating 6-0 romping of 10-man Lecce last weekend. Manager Raffaele Palladino must have been proud of his team at Stadio Via del Mare, as it was the first time since 1966 that Fiorentina netted 6+ in an away top-flight outing.
In the meantime, Roma stemmed the bleeding following a disheartening three-game winless run (D1, L2) with a narrow 1-0 home win against Dynamo Kyiv in midweek UEFA Europa League action. Artem Dovbyk maintained his form resurgence, scoring from the spot for his fifth goal in the last eight appearances across all competitions.
However, Ivan Juric’s men have amends to make after slipping to a 1-0 home defeat to Inter last time out. Ominously for the Croatian coach, he followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Daniele De Rossi, whose first league loss in charge of Roma came against the Nerazzurri. Juric can still draw heart from overseeing two wins in his first three Serie A games (D1).
Match Preview
Fiorentina
Fiorentina seem to be building a head of steam following a torrid start to life under Palladino. Indeed, before racking up the abovementioned four-game winning streak, they had only managed one win inside 90 minutes across their opening eight competitive matches under the former Monza tactician (D6, L1).
Despite Fiorentina’s form resurgence, they’ve been notoriously slow starters this season, with ten of their 14 competitive goals arriving after halftime. But one of those four first-half goals came in their last home league fixture as they squeezed past Milan 2-1, making it back-to-back Serie A victories in Tuscany after overcoming Lazio by the same scoreline.
That exact full-time score has decided two of Fiorentina’s last four top-flight encounters against Roma on this ground (W2, D1, L1), highlighting the potential for a high-scoring event. Considering six of the eight competitive duels between these two teams at Franchi since 2017 have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring, there’s no reason to expect anything less than a goal fest.
Roma
Juric’s arrival has only temporarily reignited Roma’s spirits, with the visitors taking this trip amid their worst eight-game Serie A start since 2010/11 (W2, D4, L2). Roma fans probably wouldn’t mind if the history repeats itself this term, given that the Giallorossi finished inside the top six that season.
However, replicating that feat will require the traveling side to find form on the road. Roma’s travel sickness has seen them go winless in all five competitive away matches this season, with their four Serie A trips ending level. Low scoring has been a common theme, as those four games all featured under 2.5 goals, with two finishing 0-0.
That’s hardly surprising, given Roma lament the division’s fifth-worst scoring record in 2024/25. They’ve only netted eight times thus far, but their abysmal average of 0.5 goals per Serie A away fixture paints a bleak picture. All things considered, they’d likely be content with another share of the spoils in Tuscany, especially considering a lack of offensive firepower.
Team News
Despite trouncing Lecce a week ago, it was a ‘Pyrrhic victory’ as Fiorentina lost star forwards Albert Gudmundsson and Moise Kean to injuries. The Icelandic ace is unavailable for selection, joining Marin Pongracic and Rolando Mandragora on the sidelines. But there’s a chance the latter could play on Sunday.
On the other hand, Roma will take this trip without Milan loanee Alexis Saelemaekers. But Stephan El Shaarawy and Gianluca Mancini could be ready after overcoming their fitness problems, with the Italian defender bidding to dislodge Mario Hermoso from the starting XI.
Fiorentina vs Roma Potential Line-ups
Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Dodo, Pietro Comuzzo, Luca Ranieri, Robin Gosens; Yacine Adli, Danilo Cataldi, Edoardo Bove; Andrea Colpani, Christian Kouame; Moise Kean.
Roma (3-4-2-1): Mile Svilar; Gianlcua Mancini, Evan Ndicka, Angelino; Zeki Celik, Bryan Cristante, Manu Kone, Nicola Zalewski; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Paulo Dybala; Artem Dovbyk.
Fiorentina vs Roma Prediction
Fiorentina’s recent uptick in form puts them in pole position to pour more misery on Roma and extend a three-game unbeaten streak in this fixture (W1, D2). However, this promises to be a fiercely contested battle with a handful of scoring opportunities, with one goal likely to separate the teams at the final whistle.
Prediction: Fiorentina to Win
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