Aiming to extend their perfect start to this season's Conference League, Fiorentina will head for Nicosia to face APOEL on Thursday evening.
The Viola have been in scintillating form since the end of September and are near the top of the league-phase table; meanwhile, their hosts have picked up just one point so far.
Match preview
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After a sluggish start to the season - including their close escape from being eliminated in the Conference League playoffs - Fiorentina have been a team transformed in recent weeks, sweeping all before them at home and abroad.
Having seen off The New Saints in their league-phase opener, the Viola trailed at half time in their first away fixture, before roaring back to beat St Gallen 4-2, with Jonathan Ikone scoring twice on a rare start.
That put Raffaele Palladino's men second in the table, just behind Chelsea on goal difference, and in good shape to reach the knockout rounds of a competition they have come so close to winning in both of the last two campaigns.
They will set off for Cyprus unbeaten in nine games across all competitions, winning no fewer than eight - including a 1-0 victory over Torino last weekend.
A switch from Palladino's preferred three-man defence to a back four has worked wonders in Florence, where summer signings Edoardo Bove and Moise Kean have begun to thrive.
Kean's goal winner in Turin secured Fiorentina's fifth straight Serie A success, keeping them within two points of reigning champions Inter Milan, while leaders Napoli are just one further in front.
![APOEL's Max Meyer during UEFA Champions league qualifying match against SK Slovan Bratislava on August 7, 2024 [on August 20, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/34/max-meyer.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "APOEL's Max Meyer during UEFA Champions league qualifying match against SK Slovan Bratislava on August 7, 2024 [on August 20, 2024]")
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Meanwhile, APOEL - Cypriot football's most successful club - are eight points adrift of top spot in defence of their domestic title, having failed to beat Apollon at the weekend.
A goalless draw in Limassol sees the Nicosia side sitting fourth in the league table, as a lack of goals continues to undermine hopes of retaining their crown.
Since winning the Super Cup in late September, APOEL have failed to find the net in four of seven fixtures, including a 1-0 home defeat to Borac Banja Luka in the Conference League.
That followed a 1-1 draw with 10-man Shamrock Rovers in Dublin, where they conceded a stoppage time equaliser against last year's League of Ireland champions: one point places them 26th in the standings, outside the playoff spots with four games remaining.
Having recently replaced Jose Dominguez, new coach Manuel Jimenez - the club's fourth manager in six months - therefore has a tough task on his hands between now and the final matchday in December.
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Team News
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Raffaele Palladino is set to make a number of changes in midweek, with one eye on Sunday's Serie A game against Hellas Verona.
Top scorer Moise Kean will be rested, with Christian Kouame drafted in up front, while cup 'keeper Pietro Terracciano should replace David de Gea in goal.
Kean's strike partner Albert Gudmundsson is still sidelined by injury; midfielder Danilo Cataldi and centre-back Marin Pongracic are the Viola's only fitness doubts.
APOEL are more likely to name their strongest available XI, spearheaded by experienced Moroccan striker Youssef El-Arabi, who has scored 21 times in 66 UEFA competition appearances.
Former Germany international Max Meyer may come back into the hosts' lineup, ahead of veteran goalkeeper Vid Belec, who spent several years of his career in Italy, with Inter, Sampdoria and Salernitana.
APOEL possible starting lineup:
Belec; Chebake, Petrovic, Dvali, Susic; Abagna, Tejera; Marquinhos, Meyer, Donis; El Arabi
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Kayode, Moreno, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Adli, Mandragora; Ikone, Beltran, Sottil; Kouame
We say: APOEL 0-2 Fiorentina
Enjoying a real purple patch, the Viola should secure three more points on Thursday, when they will be a class above their hosts.
APOEL cannot find off-field stability and are performing below par on the pitch, so they should succumb to in-form Fiorentina.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
