Serie A | Gameweek 27

Feb 28, 2025 at 7.45pm UK

Stadio Artemio Franchi

Fiorentina vs Lecce

Match preview

Having lost their last two matches, Fiorentina and relegation-threatened Hellas Verona met at the Stadio Bentegodi on Sunday, with the away side widely expected to halt their slide.

However, not only did they concede in second-half stoppage time to lose 1-0, but a worrying head injury to star striker Moise Kean made it a grim day for the Viola faithful.

Since a shock 3-0 defeat to reigning champions Inter earlier this month, Raffaele Palladino's side have taken nothing from their last three Serie A games - the last time Fiorentina lost four in a row was in 2019.

After averaging 1.88 points and conceding 0.90 goals per game up until the turn of the year, their seven league games in 2025 have seen their points average drop to 1.11 and their goals against average rise to 1.40.

However, the Tuscan outfit are not out of the running for Champions League qualification, as they remain seven points adrift of fourth-placed Juventus with 12 games remaining.

There is still silverware to be won, as they face Panathinaikos in the last 16 of the Conference League, but first they have to get back to winning ways on the domestic front.

Aided by Danilo Cataldi's first top-flight brace, Fiorentina thrashed Lecce 6-0 in the reverse fixture of the season to set up a Serie A double over the Giallorossi for only the second time.

Having lost five of their previous six visits to the Stadio Franchi, Lecce have now lost just one of their last six, so the precedent is not entirely against them.

They are, however, the only team yet to score in Serie A in February, having lost 1-0 at home to Udinese last week.

After ending January with a 3-1 win over relegation rivals Parma, the Salentini managed back-to-back goalless draws against Bologna and Monza before last Friday's defeat at Via del Mare.

Sitting four points above the bottom three, Marco Giampaolo's men are far from certain of safety - and their toothless attack remains a cause for concern.

Lecce have the worst goalscoring record in the Italian top flight, with prolific striker Nikola Krstovic the main culprit.

With seven league goals from 102 attempts, the Montenegrin has the worst shot-to-target ratio of any player in Europe's top five leagues this season - and his fellow strikers have also failed to find the net on a regular basis.

Recent Performance

Fiorentina Serie A form:WWWLLL

Lecce Serie A form:LLWDDL

Team News

Moise Kean was soon released from hospital after a nasty clash with Verona's Pawel Dawidowicz, but a deep gash to his eyebrow means he is unlikely to feature on Friday. Either Lucas Beltran or Nicolo Zaniolo could come in.

Fiorentina will also be without Yacine Adli, Albert Gudmundsson and Andrea Colpani through injury, while Michael Folorunsho is a doubt and Amir Richardson is serving a suspension for accumulating bookings.

In better news for Raffaele Palladino, left-back Robin Gosens has returned from a one-match ban, meaning Fabiano Parisi should drop to the bench.

Only long-term absentees Filip Marchwinski and Joan Gonzalez are certain to be out for Lecce, but Thorir Helgason is still struggling with a muscle strain and could miss the trip to Florence.

Usually supported by wide men Santiago Pierotti and Tete Morente, the Giallorossi's top scorer Nikola Krstovic scored his first Serie A goal at the Stadio Franchi in August 2023, and with seven this season, he needs just one more to equal last season's tally.

Possible starting lineup

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Cataldi, Mandragora; Zaniolo, Fagioli, Folorunsho; Beltran

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Guilbert, Baschirotto, Jean, Gallo; Pierret, Coulibaly; Pierotti, Rafia, Morente; Krstovic