Serie A | Gameweek 12

Nov 10, 2024 at 2pm UK

Stadio Artemio Franchi

Fiorentinavs.Hellas Verona

Match preview

La Viola are on a five-game winning streak in Serie A, which is their best run of form in almost seven years. With Napoli making a comeback and Atalanta beating the Partenopei last week, not many are paying attention to Fiorentina's impressive start.

Just four points separate the entire top six in Serie A, with Fiorentina just three points off Antonio Conte's side at the summit.

The team is back at the Artemio Franchi for the first time since the 5-1 defeat of Roma. They've played three games away from home in a row, winning narrowly against Genoa and Torino.

However, Palladino's men were beaten by APOEL Nicosia in Cyprus on Thursday in a Conference League match. This was a surprise result, as it ended their seven-game winning run across all competitions. They had already beaten TNS and St Gallen in their opening two matches on the continent.

It shouldn't be a big deal, since so many first-team players are getting a break. The whole defence is going back to the one that, after successfully shutting out Torino, has kept four straight clean sheets away from home in Serie A for just the third time in their history.

Another home win here could be historic too. After winning their last two home games against Verona with clean sheets, they could win three in a row without conceding against their upcoming opponents for the first time in their history.

La Viola are in a strong position in this fixture, but even though Verona have only won 15 of the 66 Serie A meetings between the clubs, that is the most victories they have recorded against a single opponent in the top flight.

The last time they won was in May, when they beat Verona 2-1. That ended an eight-game winless run for Verona in this fixture.

The squad should also be feeling pretty confident after a dramatic 3-2 win over Roma last weekend, which got them out of trouble for now.

Verona's performance under Paolo Zanetti has been inconsistent. They've had some great games, but also some disappointing ones. The Roma win came after three straight losses, including two against relegation candidates Monza and Lecce, and a 6-1 defeat at Atalanta.

From a neutral perspective, Verona are up there with Atalanta as the league's great entertainers, with an impressive 40 goals scored in just 11 games.

Recent Performance

Fiorentina Serie A form:

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Fiorentina form (all competitions):

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Hellas Verona Serie A form:

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Team News

Fiorentina will be without Danilo Cataldi and Iceland international Albert Gudmundsson for this game, but should have a fresh squad after the midweek rotation.

Palladino made 10 changes against APOEL and all those who started against Torino should return, including Moise Kean, who was rested at home in midweek.

Kean has been involved in nine goals so far this season, scoring eight and assisting one, and this is already his best return for an Italian club in a single campaign, beating his tally of eight in 40 appearances for Juventus in 2022-23.

Ill-discipline has been the order of the day for Verona in recent weeks, with three red cards in the last two games, and while Jackson Tchatchoua and Reda Belahyane will return, Dailon Livramento's late dismissal last week means he will be suspended.

Zanetti reshuffled his side for the game against Roma after the defeat to Lecce and it worked well, allowing the Verona boss to stick with the same side that won last weekend.

On the injury front, Pawel Dawidowicz, Juan Manuel Cruz and Martin Frese are among the visitors' current absentees.

Possible starting lineups

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Richardson, Bove; Colpani, Beltran, Sottil; Kean

Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:

Montipo; Daniliuc, Coppola, Magnani, Bradaric; Duda, Serdar; Suslov, Kastanov, Lazovic; Tengstedt