Firenze, Italy — Fiorentina go meet their Tuscan rivals Empoli for Derby dell’Arno dis Sunday at Stadio Artemio Franchi. The match come after Fiorentina just win Cagliari 2-1 for Wednesday. Dat game be important as dem dey fight for European qualification and dey wish to finish among the top six for Serie A.
Fiorentina don acquire 56 points and dey sit for 8th position after dem break their rough run and collect 11 points from five matches. Empoli, on the other hand, dey struggle as dem lay for 19th position with only 25 points. Dem wan turn heap of losses around as dem no fit win any match in 17 games.
Dey just come out from Coppa Italia wey dem dey reach semi-finals for the first time in history but dem loss 5-1 against Bologna. Coach Roberto D’Aversa don rest some of hin key players in dat game, focusing on Serie A survival instead.
Fiorentina face major player absences, with Moise Kean leave squad for Paris due to personal matter, and question mark dey over other key players. Raffaele Palladino, de Fiorentina coach, go need to make big decisions on how to handle squad rotation due to upcoming Conference League match against Real Betis.
“We go look for ways to balance the game ahead and the ones coming too. Na tough decision, but na wetin we must do,” Palladino talk as he prepare for the derby.
Fiorentina go be without attackers and will rely on other players like Lucas Beltrán and Albert Gudmundsson. Empoli still dey need their own key players to fit start after couple of injuries wey don affect their lineup.
The last match wey dem play, Empoli come draw with Fiorentina after dem no fit break past them in various meetings, with the last six games ending without a win for Fiorentina. However, dis time, Fiorentina fans dey shout say dem must win.
“Di players dey extra motivated dis time around,” one of di fans talk about di upcoming match as dem dey expect dem to perform well against rivals. “Na chance for dem to show say dem fit get back into contention.”
For the game, Empoli don struggle to recover, but dey still hope to surprise Fiorentina again and get vital points for relegation battle.
The match set to kickoff at 14:00 UK time, expect tension as both teams battle to gain points for their different objectives. With Fiorentina desperately seeking to hit European spots and Empoli fighting to escape relegation, dis match fit get serious energy.
