The final weekend of 2023 in the Serie A will kick off under the lights at Stadio Artemio Franchi, where Fiorentina and Torino will lock horns, hoping to end the year on a high.
The hosts have taken 30 points from 17 matches this season and are occupying the sole Europa League qualification spot, while the visitors are in 10th place with 24 points over the same period.
Match preview
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Fiorentina will head into this match with all the momentum they could hope for, and with the race for European qualification being red hot, they could end the calendar year in a Champions League spot.
Viola have recorded nine wins, three draws and five losses in league matches this season, leaving them just one point behind fourth-placed Bologna and three behind AC Milan in third.
Last time out, Vincenzo Italiano's side claimed a 1-0 win over Monza, marking their seventh consecutive match without defeat, including five wins and two draws, while they have only lost one of their last 10.
During that time, Viola also made the most of their good fortune to even be competing in Europe this season by sealing their place in the knockout rounds of the Conference League, finishing top of their group and set to face either Rapid Vienna or Debreceni VSC in the next round.
Notably, Fiorentina are a much better defensive unit of late and have kept clean sheets in their last two matches while only conceding one in their last four league games, which came in their 1-1 draw against Roma.
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However, despite having a solid first half of the campaign, the hosts are a little short-handed at the moment owing to a growing injury list, and they will likely be hoping to get through this match and into the January transfer window without any further casualties.
Meanwhile, Torino will head to Florence with fond memories after they brought an end to a 32-match winless streak at Stadio Artemio Franchi with a 1-0 win here last season.
The Bulls have laid a solid foundation for themselves leading up to the midway point of the season, 11 points clear of the drop, while a win here could take them up to eighth place with a little bit of luck in the results elsewhere this weekend.
Ivan Juric's side played out a 1-1 draw at home to Udinese last weekend, which extended their unbeaten run in the league to four matches following two wins and a draw.
However, the Torino boss will be hoping to improve his side's away record in the New Year, having only managed eight points in as many matches on the road so far and failing to win any of their last three.
Team News
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As mentioned earlier, Fiorentina have several players unavailable due to injury at the moment, with perhaps the most notable absentee being Giacomo Bonaventura, who has been ruled out until January after scoring six goals and providing two assists in 15 games.
Lucas Martinez Quarta is also set to miss the final match of the year due to illness, and he will join Nicolas Gonzalez, Tommaso Martinelli, Pietro Comuzzo, Dodo and Gaetano Castrovilli on the treatment table.
For the visitors, Karol Linetty has been struggling with a muscle injury in recent weeks and has been flagged as a doubt for this match, although he could still feature if cleared as fit before kickoff.
Defender Ange Caumenan N'Guessan is out until January with a thigh injury, while Perr Schuurs could miss the remainder of the season due to a severe ACL injury.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Duncan, Arthur, Sottil, Ikone, Kouame; Beltran
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Bellanova, Ricci, Ilic, Vojvoda; Vlasic; Zapata, Sanabria
We say: Fiorentina 2-1 Torino
While Torino have enjoyed success in this fixture in the recent past, Fiorentina come into this match with all the momentum and following five consecutive home wins in all competitions. The visitors are no pushover, but we fancy the hosts to take the points in this one.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
