Fiorentina may have made a giant step towards the top 3 finish by beating Lazio away, but they need to beat Genoa as well for the win at Stadio Olimpico to count. The Rossoblu slipped back to the danger zone as they lost at home to Milan, and they could easily find themselves in the bottom three should they lose at Artemio Franchi.

Viola back in business

Even if the squad had been reinforced with 18 new players in the summer, the ease with which Fiorentina made a transition from relegation strugglers to Champions League hopefuls was simply remarkable. Viola started the season brightly, showing everyone they really mean business this term, although the winter break clearly disrupted their momentum. As a result, Vincenzo Montella’s side went on to pick up just one point from four league games, while also dropping out of the Coppa Italia, so they found themselves in a really difficult situation few weeks back. Viola, nevertheless, showed a lot of character to return to the right track, with four wins in last six games helping them revive their top 3 bid. Following the impressive 2-0 away win over Lazio, Fiorentina should be in good stead to see off struggling Genoa and further improve their chances of securing Champions League qualification. Bear in mind that their 10-3-1 home record is second to none in Serie A.

With Alberto Aquilani returning from suspension, Vincenzo Montella can again field his strongest line-up, even if Mounir El Hamdaoui and Marvin Compper are doubtful and Giuseppe Rossi, Michele Camporese and Ahmed Hegazy remain sidelined.

Testing times for Genoa

Numerous squad changes in the summer did not have the desired effect as Genoa went on to spend most of the current league campaign in and around the relegation zone, and they are now in real danger of losing their Serie A status. The team did show a lot of improvement since Davide Ballardini took over, but once the excitement surrounding the arrival of new boss subsided, Genoa returned to their usual performances. Back to back defeats to Roma and Milan not only ended the good run of results, but also had a very negative effect on the players’ new-found confidence. The Rossoblu are now set to play another very difficult game, seeing they travel to Florence to face the best home side in the elite division. To add insult to injury, several very important players are missing the trip to Artemio Franchi, which is going to further damage their chances of getting something from this match.

Top scorer Marco Borriello is a major doubt, while regular starters Sebastien Frey and Matuzalem are out injured. Ruben Olivera, Antonio Floro Flores and Enis Nadarevic also miss out.

Verdict

Fiorentina have finally rediscovered their form and being at full strength they can be expected to record the third consecutive victory in the league. Genoa are not only going through a rough patch, but they are also without three key players, which means odds are stacked firmly against them here.

Top pick: Fiorentina/Fiorentina   2.10 (11/10) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 1: Fiorentina with -1 handicap   2.30 (13/10) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals   1.85 (17/20) @ Betfair

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