Fiorentina edged closer to their top 3 rivals with their first away win of the season, and they are now hot favourites to continue the impressive run at Artemio Franchi. Cagliari extended their winning run to four Serie A games, but their winning streak will be put to a series test in Florence.
Can Fiorentina join top 3 race?
Fiorentina chiefs were determined to stop the recent downtrend in fortunes after yet another disappointing season and decided to go all in during off season in an attempt to create a squad capable of mixing it up with the best of them in Serie A. They have not only created a high-quality squad by signing 18 players in the summer, but also lured Vincenzo Montella, arguably one of the world’s most talented coaches. As a result, Fiorentina have been thoroughly impressive in the opening exchanges and they now sit in fifth place, just four points behind third-placed Napoli. While Viola only recorded their first away win of the season on Monday, they were absolutely relentless at their Artemio Franchi, winning four games and completely outplaying leaders Juventus in a goalless draw. With the players high on confidence following the first away triumph, everything suggests Viola will continue the amazing run.
Alberto Aquilani is set for his first start of the season, while youngster Michele Camporese is the only unavailable player at the moment.
How’s that for a turnaround in fortunes!
Cagliari had done well to escape the relegation tussle last season, and they were tipped for another successful season after the squad remained virtually the same during off-season. However, Isolani were unable to hit the ground running early on and they looked to be in a very difficult situation having taken just two points from first six league games. Boss Massimo Ficcadenti paid the price for the disappointing results and was replaced by Ivo Pulga, who immediately brought improvement to the squad. Oddly enough, Cagliari won their first game under new boss and went on to record three more victories on the bounce, thus climbing to eight place in the standings. As a result, the players are now brimming with confidence ahead of the trip to Florence, but the team do appear to lack some quality to match red-hot Fiorentina.
Important midfielders Radja Nainggolan and Daniele Conti are both suspended, while Lorenzo Ariaudo is doubtful.
Verdict
Fiorentina are on top of their game at the moment and with Alberto Aquilani back to the side, this is the strongest team Vincenzo Montella has at his disposal. Cagliari are high on confidence at the moment, meaning we can expect them to score at Artemio Franchi, but I doubt they have what it takes to stop high-flying Viola from winning.
Top pick: Home win 1.62 (5/8) @ Paddy Power
Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score 2.20 (6/5) @ SkyBet
Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals 2.25 (5/4) @ Stan James
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