Fiorentina go welcome Genoa to Stadio Franchi dis Sunday afternoon, with one point dey enough to secure dem Serie A safety. Di Viola dey aim to join dia visitors for next season, and avoiding defeat go ensure dem stay up regardless of oda results.
After enduring awful start to dia latest Serie A campaign, Fiorentina main objective switch from qualifying for Europe to staying afloat for Italy top tier – and dem dey finally close to completion. Although Monday 4-0 defeat to Roma emphatically end di Tuscan club seven-match unbeaten streak, Paolo Vanoli don gradually guide dem to di brink of safety.
Even if 18th-placed Cremonese improbably win all of dia last three fixtures – di first of which also take place on Sunday – Fiorentina go only need one point to mathematically make sure. Di omens dey good, as dem dey unbeaten for six Serie A home games and don concede just once across di last five – even dat one na draw wit new champions Inter Milan.
Furthermore, history go dey firmly on di Viola side dis weekend: dem dey undefeated for 10 league contests against Genoa, including 2-2 draw for November reverse fixture. Dat match na particularly significant for both clubs, as Vanoli don just dey hired by Fiorentina and Genoa dey welcome Daniele De Rossi to di Ligurian capital.
Di Roma legend don make substantial impact since taking over from Patrick Vieira, and a faltering side facing di threat of relegation don be transformed. As winter turn to spring, di Grifone distance demsef from di drop zone wit five wins from eight, before taking just one point from dia two most recent outings.
After losing 2-0 to Como at di end of April, De Rossi men confirm dia Serie A status by holding Atalanta to goalless draw. Di latter result mean Genoa don keep clean sheet for half of dia last eight away games, but dem must head to Florence wit precedent stacked against dem.
Not only don di Rossoblu win just one of di last 16 league meetings wit Fiorentina – eida home or away – but dia last top-flight win at di Franchi na way back for 1977.
Fiorentina frontman Moise Kean don dey struggle wit persistent shin problem for two months – and dem grant am leave for family reasons last week – but di Italy striker fit return on Sunday. Kean deputy Roberto Piccoli don also miss di last two matches, though e don now resume full training.
Wit neida fully fit, Albert Gudmundsson fit continue to fill in up front; e don score for both Serie A appearances against former club Genoa, including dis season reverse fixture. Elsewhere, Niccolo Fortini and Luis Balbo dey close to recovering from injuries, but fellow full-back Tariq Lamptey still dey sidelined.
Meanwhile, Genoa dey miss Roma loanee Tommaso Baldanzi and Brazilian midfielder Junior Messias due to muscular issues, and Brooke Norton-Cuffy remain doubt. Wit safety secured, De Rossi fit dey tempted to make changes, so Ruslan Malinovskyi go hope for recall.
Di Ukrainian sharp-shooter get six league goals dis season – just one fewer dan top scorer Lorenzo Colombo – and don previously post four goal involvements against Fiorentina.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup: De Gea; Dodo, Pongracic, Ranieri, Gosens; Ndour, Fagioli, Mandragora; Harrison, Gudmundsson, Solomon. Genoa possible starting lineup: Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Sabelli, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Martin; Ekhator, Vitinha; Colombo.
Both clubs go back to contest anoda Serie A season, wit win for Fiorentina confirming dia top-flight place alongside Genoa. Though di Viola get rather modest home record, dem don find some rhythm for recent weeks as di threat of relegation don ease.
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