Torino will give their best to record the second home win in a row and thus escape further away from the relegation zone, but beating in-form Fiorentina could prove to be an impossible task. Viola extended their winning run to five games, and no doubt they will feel optimistic about their chances at Stadio Olimpico.

Decent start for Torino

Having returned into the top flight after three years in Serie B, Torino did their best to properly reinforced the squad before the start of the Serie A campaign. The likes of Gillet, Santana, Gazzi, Brighi and Cerci added quality as well as experienced to the side, and helped the team to a pretty good start to the season. Their 3-6-4 record may not be too impressive, but as long as Torino continue playing like this, they should be able to avoid the drop, which is their main objective this season. Even so, Giampiero Ventura’s men have little reason for optimism ahead of the clash against red-hot Fiorentina, having already lost three home games this season. Given that their opponents are on top of their game at the moment, Torino will probably struggle to get anything from this game.

Salvatore Masiello, Giuseppe Vives and Riccardo Meggiorini are back in contention after missing the Roma defeat, but Marko Bakic and Sergio Suciu remain sidelined.

Can anyone stop Viola?

Even before the season started, Fiorentina were tipped to show a massive improvement to their 13th-place finish, having signed no less than 18 new players in the summer. However, nobody expected Viola to hit the ground running so early into the league campaign, but Vincenzo Montella quickly proved why he is now regarded as one of the most talented coaches in world football. As a result, Fiorentina have been thoroughly impressive over the last couple of months, with five-match winning run seeing them not only climb to third place in the standings, but also effectively join the Serie A title race. After beating Genoa and Milan on their last two travels and boosted by the 4-1 win over Atalanta, Viola certainly look capable of becoming the fourth team to win at Stadio Olimpico this season.

David Pizarro misses out through suspension, while Stevan Jovetic might have to settle for a place on the bench, having not fully recovered from a knee injury.

Verdict

Torino have done well to stay above the bottom three so far, but having already lost three home games this term, il Granata will have their work cut out for them against high-flying Fiorentina. After winning last five Serie A games, I see a great value in odds offered on Viola.

Top pick: Fiorentina Draw no bet   1.67 (2/3) @ Coral

Alternative pick 1: Away win   2.40 (7/5) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals   2.30 (13/10) @ Betfair