After failing to score in their last two matches, misfiring Fiorentina welcome mid-table Genoa to Stadio Franchi on Monday evening.
Having lost in Serie A last week, the Viola were then held goalless in Europe; meanwhile, their visitors are intent on overtaking them to secure a top-half finish.
Match preview
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Beaten 1-0 by Juventus in Turin, it was a familiar tale of frustration for Fiorentina and their coach Vincenzo Italiano last time out, as they bossed the ball but failed to penetrate their hosts' dogged defence.
Set to depart in the summer, Italiano's hopes of a glorious goodbye will rest on events in two cup competitions, as the Viola are now closer to the bottom half of Serie A than the European places.
The Tuscan club could meet Juve in next month's Coppa Italia final, following a 1-0 defeat of Atalanta BC in the first leg of their semi-final tie, and last season's beaten Europa Conference League finalists are still in contention to reach the finale again this term.
By contrast with their recent form in Serie A, Fiorentina have scored freely in Europe's third-tier competition over the past couple of years, but Thursday's drab 0-0 draw with Viktoria Plzen leaves them with work to do in the second leg of their quarter-final.
Before welcoming the Czech club to Florence, Italiano's men must try to keep slim hopes of continental qualification alive by winning just a third league match of 2024: so far this year, only Frosinone and Salernitana have won fewer times in the Italian top flight.
Following six victories in their first nine home games this season, Fiorentina have since won only two of the last six, so meeting one of their favourite opponents could provide a well-timed boost for the Stadio Franchi faithful.
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Genoa are yet to win a single Serie A fixture in Florence throughout the three-points-for-a-win era, which started back in the mid-1990s: their last 16 league matches in the Tuscan capital have brought nine defeats and seven draws.
Either home or away, the Grifone have won only one of their last 12 top-flight meetings with Fiorentina, but they now lurk just five points behind their hosts following last week's success at Stadio Bentegodi.
After falling behind to Hellas Verona, Alberto Gilardino's side then turned things around to triumph 2-1, continuing their impressive adaptation to life back in the big time: last year's Serie B runners-up occupy 12th place in the top flight.
On target again in Verona, Albert Gudmundsson has scored 12 league goals so far, helping to all but secure Genoa's survival with seven rounds still remaining.
Unbeaten in seven of their last eight away games, the Ligurian club have proved tough to beat on their travels in 2024, though the last time they won successive Serie A matches on the road was some three years ago.
Team News
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As Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano has the rare luxury of an almost fully available squad, there will surely be changes to his starting XI ahead of Thursday's Conference League contest.
Giacomo Bonaventura was suspended for last week's loss to Juventus, then sat out the game in Plzen with a minor knock, but he should now play a part in the hosts' midfield; therefore, M'Bala Nzola is the only player unavailable.
Elsewhere, Luca Ranieri, Michael Kayode and Christian Kouame lead the queue of players hoping for promotion from the bench, but captain Cristiano Biraghi will be keen to avoid being rested: he has been directly involved in six Serie A goals against Genoa to date, including his opening strike in August's reverse fixture.
Genoa, meanwhile, are still without Ruslan Malinovskyi through injury, but Italy striker Mateo Retegui is back in the fold after serving a one-match ban and overcoming an ankle problem; Vitinha's presence remains in doubt due to a muscular issue.
Other than Retegui replacing Caleb Ekuban up front, Alberto Gilardino may name an almost unchanged lineup on his return to Stadio Franchi - he scored 48 times for Fiorentina during his playing days and has been linked with a return when Italiano leaves at the end of this season.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Kayode, Martinez Quarta, Ranieri, Biraghi; Duncan, Bonaventura; Ikone, Barak, Kouame; Belotti
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; De Winter, Bani, Vasquez; Sabelli, Frendrup, Badelj, Messias, Spence; Gudmundsson, Retegui
We say: Fiorentina 1-1 Genoa
While Genoa's recent record in this fixture is woeful, they have had more time to rest and train, while Fiorentina are between two legs of an important European tie. As the Grifone are durable away from home and their hosts lack reliable firepower, a low-scoring stalemate is surely on the cards.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
