Fiorentina begins their Serie A campaign on Sunday, as they welcome promoted Cremonese to Stadio Artemio Franchi with kickoff at 7:30 pm.
Fiorentina, who had been in decline for years, finished seventh in Serie A. Vincenzo Italiano last season and was hired as their new coach. He brought a progressive style of play and made Viola the great entertainer of Calcio.
Fiorentina qualified for a return to Europe’s newest club competition, the Europa Conference League, where they’ll face Twente later this month. Before they take on Dutch side Twente, Italiano is refining his squad by signing midfielder Rolando Mandragora and Brazilian full-back Dodo and recruiting Real Madrid to reject Luka Jovic, who will seek to rebuild his reputation in Florence.
Cremonese has never beaten Sunday’s opponents in Serie A, and their seven previous openers at the top level have ended in defeat. The Lombardy club left Italy’s elite in 1996 when they finished second from the bottom of the standings and now finally return after edging out Pisa to snatch second in Serie B last season.
Winning the most games of any team in the second tier—20, a record for the club in a single Serie B campaign—Cremonese are set to tackle the task of avoiding relegation under new management following the resignation of promotion-winning coach Fabio Pecchia in May.
Fiorentina vs Cremonese Head to Head
Both sides have yet to meet in the league, marking their first encounter. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Real Betis 3-1 Fiorentina
- Fiorentina 0-0 Qatar
- Fiorentina 1-2 Galatasaray
- Fiorentina 4-0 Triestina
Away
- Cremonese 3-2 Ternana
- Cremonese 6-0 Santarcangelo
- Hellas Verona 4-3 Cremonese
- Cremonese 2-0 SPAL
Fiorentina Team News
Vincenzo Italiano’s commitment to attack will remain apparent when Fiorentina host Udinese on Sunday. Newly acquired full-back Dodo is more comfortable going forward than tracking back and was involved in the most goals of any defender during the last two seasons in Ukraine: recording two goals and nine assists for Shakhtar Donetsk.
Cremonese Team News
Luca Zanimacchia and Cristian Buonaiuto played a part in 13 of Cremonese’s Serie B goals last season, scoring eight goals each and assisting five. The pair will be hoping to feature together in a familiar front three with Daniel Ciofani but face stiff competition from new boys David Okereke and Cyriel Dessers.
Prediction and Odds
Fiorentina have not drawn their last 11 Serie A season openers and are set to extend that streak on Sunday. The Viola have invested in new attacking options, so an entertaining encounter is likely at the Franchi.
- Home Win
- Both Teams to Score
- Goals Over 3.5
