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One of Italian football’s most intense rivalries takes center stage on Sunday evening when Fiorentina host Juventus at the Stadio Franchi.
Both clubs have fallen short of expectations so far this season. Fiorentina are battling near the bottom of the table despite signs of improvement, while Juventus remain well outside the title picture and can ill afford many more domestic setbacks.
Verdict: Away win
Best odds: 11/10
Bookmaker: Bovada
Fiorentina head into this clash in better spirits than they were a few weeks ago.
After enduring a miserable run of three consecutive defeats without scoring, the Viola have collected four points from their last two Serie A matches and appear to have found some attacking rhythm again. Their most recent outing produced an entertaining 4-2 victory away to Sassuolo, where Mateo Pellegrino, Alieu Njie and Franco Mastantuono all got on the scoresheet.
Despite those encouraging results, Fiorentina remain 16th in the standings with only eight points from their opening fixtures, highlighting how much work Paolo Vanoli still has to do after returning to the club.
The biggest concern remains their home form. Fiorentina have picked up only two points from five league games at the Stadio Franchi and are still searching for their first home victory of the season.
Mastantuono has emerged as a bright spot, scoring four league goals since arriving on loan from Real Madrid. Alongside Pellegrino and Njie, he will be tasked with troubling a Juventus defence that has been hampered by injuries throughout the campaign.
Injury problems continue for the hosts. Fabiano Parisi, Arthur Atta and Marin Pongracic are unavailable, while Luca Ranieri faces a late fitness test.
Juventus arrive in Florence carrying far more momentum in Europe than they have managed domestically.
Luciano Spalletti’s side secured another important Europa League victory in midweek, defeating AZ Alkmaar 2-1 thanks to goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Teun Koopmeiners. That success moved the Bianconeri closer to direct qualification for the knockout stages and continued an impressive European run.
Serie A has been a different story.
Juventus have collected only 17 points from 10 league matches and currently sit seventh, trailing surprise leaders Lazio by a significant margin. Their inconsistency has raised questions about whether they can realistically challenge for the top four, let alone the title.
The visitors at least restored some confidence by defeating Napoli last weekend, but away form remains a concern. Juventus have lost two of their last four Serie A road games and have won only once in their last seven visits to the Stadio Franchi.
Spalletti’s selection options remain limited by injuries. Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Francisco Conceicao, Kamil Grabara, Zeki Celik, Nico Gonzalez and Manuel Locatelli are all unavailable, while Weston McKennie remains a doubt.
That places additional pressure on Kolo Muani and Nick Woltemade to translate their encouraging European form into domestic productivity.
Fiorentina’s recent improvement suggests this will be far from a straightforward evening for Juventus, especially given the atmosphere that inevitably accompanies this rivalry.
However, the hosts’ inability to turn home performances into victories remains a major concern. Juventus have been inconsistent themselves, but they appear to possess slightly more quality in decisive moments, and their recent European performances indicate growing confidence.
Expect a fiercely contested contest with little separating the teams, but Juventus may have enough experience and attacking quality to edge a narrow win.
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