With only goal difference separating them in ninth and tenth place in the standings, Fiorentina and Torino head into a midweek clash at Stadio Artemio Franchi in contrasting fortunes but with the same idea on their minds.

Three on the Trot?

Fiorentina did well to bounce back from a poor three-match run in the second part of September which saw them win only a single point against Juventus, Atalanta and Chievo. They won their last two games against Udinese and Benevento but it’s generally been a frustrating start to the season for Viola who just can’t seem to get in the rhythm in Serie A. They’ve been either losing or winning in waves and lack of consistency is one of the reasons they are currently occupying the disappointing ninth place in the standings. Another big reason for such a low ranking after nine Serie A matches could be found in a busy summer behind us. Viola ended up losing the likes of Federico Fernandeschi, Matias Vecino, Borja Valero and Nikola Kalinic who were all important members of the first team last season. The club did well to bolster their ranks by bringing in Giovanni Simeone, Marco Benassi, Victor Hugo, Valentin Eysseric, Carlos Sanchez, Jordan Veretout and Cyril Thereau among others but it is only the latter 34-year-old former Udinese striker who is proving to be a worthy investment thus far. Thereau is the club’s leading goal scorer with six goals to his name, three of which were scored in Fiorentina’s last two games and he’ll once again be the one to watch during the week against Torino.

Fiorentina are having a couple of selection issues for the Wednesday match with Dias and Saponara both ruled out of contention with foot injuries.

No Belotti, No party for Torino

Torino have either lost or drawn their last four Serie A matches and the pressure starts to pile up on Sinisa Mihajlovic and his men. El Toro were without a defeat in the first five Serie A matches, latching on a rather successful preseason campaign. Their fine efforts were then denied after Andrea Belotti picked up a knee injury at the beginning of September and Torino have, coincidently, been without a win ever since. The 23-year-old forward has emerged as an important presence in his side over the course of last season when his 26 Serie A goals alarmed plenty of big-name European sides. Belotti continued his impressive run of form with three goals in five Serie A games in the new season, but El Toro are currently struggling without him. Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men are coming off from a 1-0 defeat at the hands of AS Roma at the weekend. Torino fought bravely and deserved more for the fight they put up against Giallorossi’s attacking machine but a piece of brilliance from Aleksandar Kolarov ended up being a crucial point in the game. Torino now face another difficult test and will be keen to demonstrate that life without Belotti might be hard but not impossible.

Umar Sadiq is likely to continue upfront instead of Belotti. Sinisa Mihajlovic will be sweating over the fitness of Acquah, Barreca, Obi and Lyanco who have all been struggling for fitness lately.

Conclusion

Torino might be coming to town without their best player but Sinisa Mihajlovic’s side is known to be open to play and always up for the contest. Their records speak for themselves and the fact they failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven matches speaks volumes. Goals should be the best choice for this match.

Top pick: Both teams to score – yes   1.51 (18/35) @188Bet

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   1.53 (8/15) @Bet365

Alternative pick 2: Fiorentina   1.91 (10/11) @SkyBet