Aiming to equal a club record for consecutive Serie A successes, high-flying Fiorentina will welcome Cagliari to Stadio Franchi on Sunday.
The Viola are on a superb seven-match winning streak in the league, and after an eventful week they now hope to extend that at the Sardinian side's expense.
Match preview
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Following a traumatic night last Sunday, when the collapse of midfielder Edoardo Bove caused Fiorentina's home fixture against Inter Milan to be cancelled, the Tuscan club were thrust back in action just three days later, when they met local rivals Empoli.
With Bove on the road to recovery and sending his well wishes from hospital, the Viola played out this season's second Derby dell'Arno in the Coppa Italia.
After a 0-0 league draw between the clubs in September, four goals were shared on Wednesday evening, as Fiorentina fought back from behind to lead through strikes from Moise Kean and Riccardo Sottil, putting them on course for victory and a place in the quarter-finals.
However, Empoli's late leveller then sent the tie to penalties and Kean missed a crucial spot kick in the shootout; Raffaele Palladino's men therefore have just Serie A and the Conference League to concentrate on for the rest of the season.
Both campaigns are showing signs of promise, as a recent 3-2 win over Pafos put Fiorentina in one of eight automatic qualifying spots for the Conference League's last 16, and they are enjoying some scintillating form in the Italian top flight.
Having picked up 28 points so far, another victory on Sunday would see them surpass 30 at this stage for the first time ever, in addition to equalling a club record for successive Serie A wins - a run of eight between February and April 1960.
History is certainly on their side: unbeaten in their last seven league matches against Cagliari, no team has won more points against opponents from the bottom half of the table this season.
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Conversely, no side has picked up fewer points than Cagliari against opponents residing in the top half of the standings - just two - ahead of their trip to Florence.
The Rossoblu will travel north on a growing unbeaten streak, though, following two draws and a win from their last three outings, helping them record their best start to a top-flight campaign since 2019.
After ending a run of three straight defeats by holding AC Milan to a dramatic 3-3 draw, Davide Nicola's side returned from the November international break by salvaging another point with a late strike from Roberto Piccoli in Genoa.
Piccoli struck again in last week's showdown with survival rivals Hellas Verona, and that 1-0 win took Cagliari clear of the relegation zone and into a congested mid-table.
It was also a rare clean sheet for Nicola to celebrate, but his team will now be put through some much tougher tests: between league games against Fiorentina and Atalanta BC, they must meet Juventus in the Coppa Italia.
Team News
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After making a couple of changes in midweek - continuing his experiment with Lucas Martinez Quarta in midfield, plus playing cup goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano - Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino should recall David de Gea and Yacine Adli on Sunday.
Only Edoardo Bove - who is still hospitalised following his collapse in the game against Inter - will be absent from the hosts' squad.
Set to start up front, Moise Kean will aim to overcome his Coppa Italia disappointment and reach double figures in the league this season; having recently returned from a layoff, Albert Gudmundsson could support him.
Meanwhile, Cagliari's front line is led by Roberto Piccoli, who has scored against the most different teams in Serie A without ever managing more than one goal against a single opponent (17): he could iron out that kink in his record by adding to February's strike versus the Viola for Lecce.
The visitors are also blessed with an almost clean bill of health, as only Gianluca Lapadula is doubtful due to a knock that has required him to train separately from the main group.
Albania international Alen Sherri recently displaced former first-choice goalkeeper Simone Scuffet and is set to play again at Stadio Franchi.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi; Colpani, Gudmundsson, Sottil; Kean
Cagliari possible starting lineup:
Sherri; Zappa, Mina, Luperto, Augello; Makoumbou, Adopo; Zortea, Gaetano, Luvumbo; Piccoli
We say: Fiorentina 2-1 Cagliari
Though their rhythm has been broken by recent events, the Viola should prevail and write their names into club history with an eighth straight league win.
Cagliari (10) and Fiorentina (eight) have gained the most points in Serie A via goals scored after the 70th minute, so a dramatic conclusion could be in store.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
