Following a 4-0 defeat in league action on Monday, Fiorentina will be looking to quickly bounce back to winning ways when they face Hearts at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Europa Conference League Group A.
The two teams will be meeting for the second time in a span of a week, with the reverse game ending in a comfortable win for Fiorentina at Tynecastle.
Fiorentina have endured a mixed start to the season in 2022-23 on both domestic and European fronts, and they currently sit 13th in the league table having won just two of their nine games so far.
In the league context, Vincenzo Italiano’s side have the joint-second worst goalscoring record alongside Cremonese and Spezia, although they have enjoyed a slightly better start to life in continental competition, occupying second place in their group having collected four points.
Following a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to RFS and a 3-0 defeat away to group leaders Istanbul Basaksehir, they picked up their first three points in Group A on matchday three when they claimed a 3-0 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle.
Meanwhile, Hearts enter the contest without a win in three matches across all competitions and need to show their mettle on the continental stage to keep their hopes of qualifying from Group A alive.
Dometically, they kicked off their campaign in relatively good form, but they have slipped down to fifth place in the Scottish Premiership table after a 4-0 defeat to Rangers and a draw at Kilmarnock last weekend.
However, Robbie Neilson’s side could leapfrog Fiorentina and move into second place in the section with a win on Thursday, having picked up one victory and two defeats from their three games – including a 4-0 defeat at home to Istanbul Basaksaehir on the opening matchday – to sit third in the standings.
Fiorentina vs Hearts head to head
These two teams have previously met on just one occasion in the Europa Conference League on October 6, where Fiorentina claimed a 3-0 away victory.
Hearts 0-3 Fiorentina 06/10/22
Fiorentina latest home form
Fiorentina were beaten 4-0 by Lazio in their last home game in the league. However, they have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their previous 10 games. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded six.
Fiorentina 0-0 Napoli 28/08/22
Fiorentina 1-1 Juventus 03/09/22
Fiorentina 1-1 Rigas FS 08/09/22
Fiorentina 2-0 Verona 18/09/22
Fiorentina 0-4 Lazio 10/10/22
Fiorentina latest away form
Fiorentina defeated Hearts 3-0 in their last away game in the Europa Conference League. However, they have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having lost each of their previous four matches. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded seven.
Udinese 1-0 Fiorentina 31/08/22
Bologna 2-1 Fiorentina 11/09/22
Istanbul Basaksehir 3-0 Fiorentina 15/09/22
Atalanta 1-0 Fiorentina 02/10/22
Hearts 0-3 Fiorentina 06/10/22
Hearts latest home form
Hearts have recently failed to keep a good run of form at home, having won just one of their six most recent matches. They lost 3-0 to Fiorentina in their last home game in the Europa Conference League. In their last five matches, they have scored three goals and conceded 14.
Hearts 3-2 St. Johnstone 28/08/22
Hearts 0-1 Kilmarnock 31/08/22
Hearts 0-4 Istanbul Basaksehir 08/09/22
Hearts 0-4 Rangers 01/10/22
Hearts 0-3 Fiorentina 06/10/22
Hearts latest away form
Hearts have recently been on a relatively good run of form on the road, having been unbeaten in their three most recent matches. They drew 2-2 with Kilmarnock in their last away game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded five.
Celtic 2-0 Hearts 21/08/22
Livingston 1-0 Hearts 03/09/22
Rigas FS 0-2 Hearts 15/09/22
Motherwell 0-3 Hearts 18/09/22
Kilmarnock 2-2 Hearts 09/10/22
Fiorentina news
Gaetano Castrovilli is expected to be out of action for the hosts until 2023 and will miss out once again on Thursday as he battles a serious knee injury.
Riccardo Sottil is also likely to be unavailable for Fiorentina due to a knock that has seen him miss their last three matches.
Hearts news
Lewis Neilson is suspended after picking up a straight red card in the reverse game last week, but Cameron Devlin could return after missing the draw in Kilmarnock through suspension.
Robert Snodgrass is ruled out due to ineligibility as he was signed after the squad registration deadline as a free agent in early September.
Prediction and Odds
Both teams will be keen to strengthen their bid for qualification to the knockout rounds on the Europa Conference League as the group stages draws to a close.
However, we expect Fiorentina to have too much for Hearts, with the attaking players having plenty for a makeshift Hearts defence, resulting to a home win.
Odds: 1 1.88 X 2.05 2 2.28
Probable outcomes
Fiorentina 2-0 Hearts
Fiorentina 2-1 Hearts
Fiorentina 3-0 Hearts
Fiorentina 3-1 Hearts
Fiorentina 3-2 Hearts

















