Fiorentina’s Vincenzo Italiano returns to the scene of his first triumph as a coach on Monday, as Viola take their final game of Serie A’s 25th round against improving Spezia with kickoff at 10:45 pm.
The hosts are unbeaten in their last four games, and they will try to extend that streak against the visitors. While the visitors stumbled in league play, they have now bound for the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) semi-finals.
Having defeated nine-man Napoli 5-2 in the previous round and drawing 1-1 at home to Cagliari before losing 3-0 to Lazio, Fiorentina travelled to Bergamo in midweek amid an inconsistent run of form in the league.
In contrast to their league form, the Viola edged past Atalanta and into the Coppa semis after on-loan Krzysztof Piatek helped them win a 3-2 win Gewiss Stadium.
Having failed to beat Fiorentina in Serie A since their promotion back to the top flight in 2020, Spezia will nonetheless host their Tuscan counterparts on Sunday.
Though they drew 2-2 last time out against bottom side Salernitana – Simone Verdi’s spectacular pair of free kicks cancelled out by penalties from Manaj and Verde – the Ligurians climbed as high as 14th in the table.
Indeed, Spezia could achieve consecutive home wins in the top flight for only the second time and welcome Fiorentina to Stadio Alberto Picco.
Spezia vs Fiorentina Head to Head
Both sides have 3 games against each other with hosts taking no wins while opponents with 2 wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Salernitana 2-2 Spezia
- Spezia 1-0 Sampdoria
- Milan 1-2 Spezia
- Genoa 0-1 Spezia
- Spezia 1-2 Hellas Verona
Away
- Atalanta 2-3 Fiorentina
- Fiorentina 0-3 Lazio
- Cagliari 1-1 Fiorentina
- Fiorentina 6-0 Genoa
- Napoli 2-5 Fiorentina
Spezia Team News
Club captain Guilio Maggiore—who returned to train this week—is contention to play against Spezia on Monday following his injury. However, due to their injuries, Simone Bastoni and Swedish midfielder Aimar Sher will not be available. Daniele Verde has scored twice in the last six matches in Serie A, so they should be included. Kevin Agudelo and Janis Antiste are challenging him for a starting spot.
Fiorentina Team News
The visitors will be without midfield duo Giacomo Bonaventura and Lucas Torreira for their Serie A clash at home to SPAL. Sofyan Amrabat may get a rare start, with Alfred Duncan and Youssef Maleh also options for Vincenzo Italiano.
Prediction and Odds
Fiorentina has conceded the fewest shots in Serie A this season; Spezia’s defense has allowed more attempts at goal than any other team.
- Double Chance
- Draw
- Both Teams to Score
