Torino vs Fiorentina

January 11, 2014
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

With their three-match winning run having just ended against Parma, Torino will be aiming to return to winning ways when they take on Fiorentina at Stadio Olimpico. Viola extended their winning run to five matches in all competitions, but they face a genuine attacking crisis with both Gomez and Rossi out injured.

All good things come to an end

Not so long ago, all bottom table sides in Italian Serie A and most mid table teams would tend to deploy defence-minded tactics regardless of the opposition, but that is no longer the case and partly thanks to Torino. I Granata were determined not to discard their attacking approach when they gained promotion to the elite division and that proved to be a great decision. Some impressive attacking displays allowed Giampiero Ventura’s side to establish themselves as genuine mid table team and it is fair to say they have been thoroughly impressive this season. Led by talented forwards Cerci and Immobile, Torino climbed to seventh in the Serie A standings and entered the Parma game on the back of a three-match winning run. However, they could do little to avoid a 3-1 defeat at Ennio Tardini and it appears they could pay the price for the lack of strength in depth now that a number of important players is on the sidelines. With that in mind, this is clearly not the right time to be facing high-flying Fiorentina, although Viola also have problems of their own as they prepared for the trip to Turin.

Important midfielder Giuseppe Vives misses out through suspension, whereas top scorer Ciro Immobile is a major doubt with a thigh problem. Cesare Bovo and Marcelo Larrondo are definitely out, whereas Alexander Farnerud and Omar El Kaddouri should return.

Unlucky Viola

Fiorentina officials were criticised by many for taking a gamble with Giuseppe Rossi, who had missed 18 months of action with a knee injury, but the gamble paid off big time as the striker went on to bag 14 goals in 18 league matches this season. Unfortunately, he picked up a new knee problem in the first match of the New Year and is now set to miss at least two months of action. That has got to be considered a major blow for Viola, especially considering summer signing Mario Gomez has yet to recover from his injury, but it would appear as though the team have enough resources to cope with the latest setback. The good news is that Fiorentina have seriously patched up the back line, having kept four clean sheets in a row, and continuing that run could be the key to keeping the rich vein of form given the circumstances. It will now be up to Josip Ilicic, Ryder Matos and Ante Rebic to try and compensate for Giuseppe Rossi, with Juan Cuadrado and Juan Vargas likely to help a great deal by marauding down the two flanks. Having won five of nine away matches in the league this season, Fiorentina look they can get something from Turin as well.

Mario Gomez, Giuseppe Rossi and Ahmed Hegazy are out injured, whereas captain Manuel Pasqual is a major doubt with a muscle problem.

Verdict

Considering that both sides are without some important attackers, this may not be as open encounter as we would like, but we should rather expect a real battle between two teams with big ambitions. And even if Torino have impressed this season, I am tempted to back Fiorentina here as their impressive midfield area and solid defence should be able to compensate for the absence of Rossi and Gomez.

Top pick: Fiorentina Draw no bet   1.80 (4/5) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 1: Half-time draw   2.20 (6/5) @ bet365

Alternative pick 2: Away win   2.62 (13/8) @ William Hill

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