Serie A: Viola Test for Injured Milan

Fiorentina vs AC Milan

Paulo Fonseca’s AC Milan heads to the beautiful city of Florence on Sunday for the serious business of fighting for three big points in the race for the Scudetto.

Serie A: Fiorentina vs AC Milan is an eye-catching clash and the third-place Rossoneri will not find it easy against a team which are gradually finding their feet.

The hosts come into the game on the back of a goalless draw away to Empoli and are currently sitting in 11^th place, whilst Milan beat Lecce 3-0 before going down to a Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen in midweek. La Viola have a Europa Conference League match at home to The New Saints on Thursday night and Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino will shuffle his pack, to give some key players rest time. 

I Rossoneri have been ticking along nicely in the league but, having now lost both of their Champions League openers their fans are in need of a pick-up.   

 

Talking Points

De Gea’s return to football is good news for La Viola

Spain star David de Gea’s decision to quit Manchester United in 2023 came as little surprise after the Red Devils had just signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan.

But the fact he didn’t play football last year did raise a few eyebrows.

The Spaniard had only just won the Premier League Golden Glove with 16 shutouts and was sure to have suitors across Europe, but maybe his Old Trafford wages put some clubs off.

He wasn’t in a hurry to find a new team having just married his fiancée Edurne, and he spent much of his time out with friends, watching football and working on his e-sports business—Rebels Gaming—which he set up in 2021.

But de Gea clearly still has the bug after playing 545 games for the Red Devils, winning the Premier League and a Europa League title, as he signed a deal to join Fiorentina this season.

At 33, he still has lots to offer as a keeper and de Gea made a string of top class saves when his new club beat Lazio 2-1 the last time they were at home. But he had a quieter time when La Viola drew 0-0 with Empoli last week as his defence ensured the hosts did not register a shot on target.

With captain Cristiano Biraghi marshalling the rearguard and de Gea as the last line of defence, Fiorentina’s creative players should have the confidence to press high and stretch their opponents; ex-Juventus star Moise Kean has also been particularly impressive.

 

Morata set for Milan return

Fonseca rested star striker Alvaro Morata for the visit to Leverkusen on Tuesday, bringing him on mid way through the second half.

But the former Atletico Madrid star could do little to help I Rossoneri, falling to a second successive European loss after they fell to Liverpool in their opener.

The Champions League new format is long and Milan have plenty of time to recover so Fonseca will not be too concerned.

But he would not want his team’s Champions League woes to affect their league form.

I expect Morata to start in Florence on Sunday as part of a double strike force alongside Tammy Abraham, and with the excellent Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on the flanks.

That should give Biraghi and de Gea plenty to think about.  

Milan’s derby win over Inter was the highlight of I Rossoneri’s season so far and it was only two weeks ago as part of a three-match winning run in the league, so it should be reasonably easy for Fonseca to restore his team’s confidence. 

 

History

With 28 wins to 18 I Rossoneri have had the better of the head to head Fiorentina vs AC Milan results and they did the double on La Viola last season, with a 1-0 win at San Siro followed by a 2-1 victory in Florence. 

But they will have to overcome a team which is unbeaten in 12 matches at home and the pre-match Fiorentina vs AC Milan betting odds say that might be easier said than done.  

Recent form has been pretty close between these two teams, with La Viola winning two, drawing three and losing one of the last six games, whilst Milan have won three, drawn one and lost two (both in the Champions League of course).

 

Betting Tip

With Fiorentina at SBOTOP odds of 2.70 to win, Milan at 2.27 and the draw at 3.10, this is a tricky match to call. Milan have plenty of quality but with home advantage I think La Viola can do a job on another big club.

I’m hedging my bets but for an alternative to my 2-3 goals, La Viola Draw no Bet is priced at 2.26 and a 1-1 draw at 6.40 could be close for a correct scoreline.  

   

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