Vincenzo Montella returns to Fiorentina looking to guide his Milan to a third win in a row.
When Milan and Fiorentina met last August to open the 2015-2016 season, the confused Rossoneri ended up entangled in the Viola’s spiderweb of passes, and could only watch in horror as Marcos Alonso blasted a sensational free-kick on the way to a 2-0 putdown.
The future was bright for long-suffering fans of the Gigliati, who would go on to smash Inter 4-1 on Matchday 6, propelling them to first place in Serie A.
What a difference a year makes. Though they’ve only lost Alonso from that side, the mood in Florence is bad following an unambitious transfer window, Federico Bernardeschi talking out of turn to Coach Sousa, and Borja Valero playing poorly. Milan, for their part, will have to wait until the end of the year to complete their Chinese takeover (if it happens), keeping their own dreams of glory in check.
And yet, there is a lot to be excited about. One of the Viola’s few unheralded signings, Carlos Sanchez, has looked good, and will get to test his skills against the club’s former Coach Vincenzo Montella, who claims he left the Franchi because they wouldn’t let him strengthen the squad.
A couple of draws aside, Fiorentina have still looked interesting this year, narrowly beating Roma in controversial circumstances. Remember, they purged their squad last season, too, and still had an explosive start. This doesn’t mean Viola fans should be happy - their lack of options will eventually slow them down - but until their squad is fresh (except for Valero), us neutrals can hope to be entertained - Josip Ilicic has already provided two assists in four games, and Khouma Babacar snuck in a cheeky goal in last week’s 2-2 draw with Udinese.
The Rossoneri, for their part, go into this one with a promising Suso, a reinvigorated Carlos Bacca, and the assurances provided by Gabriel Paletta, who has helped rising star Alessio Romagnoli keep the defence decent since their Week 2 hammering at the hands of Napoli.
The night may still be dark and full of terrors for fans of these two sides… but for neutrals, Sunday evening could well be a cracking watch.
Keep an Eye On: M’Baye Niang (Milan) — If one forgets the automotive tomfoolery, the young Frenchman has been very, very good for the Rossoneri, who have averaged 1.85 points a game with him on the pitch, and a horrifying 1.26 without him. It is no coincidence that Milan dipped after he hurt his ankle in a car crash in March, leading to Sinisa Mihajlovic’s sacking. Simply put, when he’s on the pitch, Carlos Bacca seems to come alive, something encapsulated by the Torino game, where the Diavolo’s slow build-up mattered for little until the ball got to the former Caen man.
Form Guide: Fiorentina (D W * W L) Milan (W W L L W) *Genoa - Fiorentina suspended due to flooding
Last season: Fiorentina 2-0 Milan
Top tip: Carlos Bacca to score
Stat fact: This is a shocker: Fiorentina’s shots per game ratio has dropped dramatically, being ranked 19th in the league in that category, just ahead of Palermo. Milan, for their part, have 12.8 to the Viola’s 8, good enough for tenth place. For comparison’s sake, Fiorentina were fourth last season with 15.1, the Rossoneri had 14.4 and were fifth.
Fiorentina (probable): Tatarusanu; Tomovic, Astori, Rodriguez; Bernarndeschi, Sanchez, Badelj, Olivera; Borja Valero, Ilicic; Kalinic
Suspended: None
Milan (probable): Donnarumma; Calabria, Paletta, Romagnoli, De Sciglio; Kucka, Montolivo, Bonaventura; Suso, Bacca, Niang
Suspended: None
Words: Edo Dalmonte
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