Fiorentina vs AC Milan

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During a time marked by tragedy and upheaval within the club, Fiorentina prepares to resume their Serie A campaign as they face AC Milan at Stadio Artemio Franchi this Saturday.

The team faced a devastating loss as their general manager fell ill just before their scheduled match against Atalanta BC, resulting in its postponement. Fiorentina now finds itself potentially in search of a new head coach amidst these difficult circumstances. Meanwhile, AC Milan remains focused on securing a top-two finish in the league.

Prior to the international break, Fiorentina encountered a heartbreaking situation when their match against Atalanta was called off abruptly due to the sudden illness and subsequent passing of their general manager, Joe Barone. This tragedy has prompted a period of reflection for the club.

Recent reports suggest that coach Vincenzo Italiano might depart when his contract expires at the season's end, leaving Viola president Rocco Commisso with the task of rebuilding the team in the upcoming summer.

Despite securing only one point from their last domestic fixture, a 2-2 draw against Roma, Fiorentina has managed to accumulate 27 points out of a possible 42 at Stadio Franchi this season. They now face a challenging match against Serie A's second-placed team as they return to action.

Since Dusan's departure, Fiorentina has struggled to find a consistent scorer. However, in their most recent Europa Conference League tie against Haifa, they achieved an aggregate victory and a trip to the quarterfinals thanks to a goal from Antonin Barak.

The Tuscan team has lost three of its past four league games and has struggled to finish off opponents. With a flurry of fixtures ahead, they will be looking to gain a more decisive advantage.

Fiorentina is a two-time champion in the Coppa Italia; in addition to facing Viktoria in a two-leg Conference League match, they will play Atalanta next week in between tough matches against Milan and Juventus.

When they previously faced the Viola in November, Milan emerged victorious with a 1-0 win at San Siro, courtesy of Theo Hernandez's penalty just before halftime.

Since then, Milan's journey has seen its share of ups and downs - rebounding from a rough patch mid-season in Serie A but exiting both the Champions League and Coppa Italia. Nonetheless, their recent victory over Hellas Verona before the international break helped solidify their hold on second place in the league standings.

During their match at Stadio Bentegodi, Christian Pulisic, alongside two other Milan players, found the net, bringing his league goal tally to match his best season and leaving him just one goal away from hitting double digits for the first time.

Pulisic plays a key role in Stefano Pioli's preferred attacking trio, alongside Olivier Giroud and Rafael Leao. However, Milan has demonstrated their depth by scoring more goals through substitutes than any other team in Europe's top five leagues this season, totaling 14 goals - the highest for the club this century.

This depth could prove beneficial in their Europa League campaign, where they will face Italian rivals Roma in the quarter-finals. Yet, the Scudetto seems out of reach for Milan this season, trailing city rivals Inter Milan by 14 points. Nonetheless, securing second place ahead of Juventus would still be a noteworthy achievement. Milan has been particularly strong away from home in 2024, accumulating the most points (15) and scoring the most goals (15), instilling confidence as they head into their upcoming fixture.

On Saturday evening, Milan might opt to deploy Davide Calabria and Alessandro Florenzi as their full-backs, given Theo Hernandez's suspension due to accumulated bookings.

In the last two seasons, Milan's success rate significantly drops without Hernandez in the starting lineup, winning only 22% of matches compared to 64% with him. Additionally, their average points and goals per game decrease notably.

With Pierre Kalulu still recovering from injury and Simon Kjaer nursing a knock from international duty, Fikayo Tomori will likely pair up with either Malick Thiaw or Mattia Gabbia in central defense under the management of Stefano Pioli.

Leading Milan's attack, Olivier Giroud has been prolific with 12 league goals, placing him joint-third in the Capocannoniere rankings. However, speculations suggest Giroud might make a move to MLS later this year.

Fiorentina's top scorer this season, Nico Gonzalez, shares the spot with former Milan midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura. Despite a strong start, Gonzalez has only scored once in his last 10 league appearances after netting six goals in the initial 11 matches.

Due to a one-match ban, Bonaventura will miss the encounter against his former club, leaving either Antonin Barak or Lucas Beltran to start behind loaned striker Andrea Belotti.