Having climbed into Serie A's top four, Fiorentina aim to preserve their place among Italy's elite on Saturday, when they visit struggling Sassuolo.
A run of four wins from five has lifted La Viola above several big names in the chasing pack, while their hosts are embroiled in a battle against the drop.
Match preview
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This week's trip to Reggio Emilia represents the halfway stage of Fiorentina's Serie A season, and recent results suggest they could be genuine contenders for Champions League qualification.
Last year's Europa Conference League runners-up have not only progressed to the knockout phase of the same competition again this term, but their previously patchy domestic form has improved over the past few weeks - only AC Milan and Juventus have beaten them since the start of November.
Vincenzo Italiano's side have won three consecutive league matches without conceding a goal after last week's 1-0 victory over Torino at Stadio Artemio Franchi, in which defender Luca Ranieri scored for the first time in Serie A following a series of important strikes in Europe.
A 10th win of the season took the Viola clear of Bologna, Atalanta BC, Scudetto-holders Napoli and both Rome clubs in the standings, and ended an eventful calendar year in style.
Fiorentina's first fixture of 2024 arrives just ahead of a Coppa Italia quarter-final with Bologna next Tuesday, and following their final defeat to Inter Milan last season they will ultimately aim to go one better in that competition and finally end a long wait for silverware.
First, though, they tackle another Emilian side, against whom they won both Serie A contests last term, having failed to taste success in any of the clubs' previous five league meetings.
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Beaten 2-1 and 3-1 by Fiorentina last season, Sassuolo have at least scored in each of their last 11 games against the Tuscan side - but finding the net has rarely been a problem for a team boasting prolific winger Domenico Berardi.
While the Neroverdi boast the eighth-best goal tally in Serie A so far - with just two fewer than this weekend's opponents - they have gone 26 consecutive matches without a clean sheet in the league, and they are the only team without at least one shutout in 2023-24.
Following losses to Genoa and Milan either side of Christmas, Sassuolo have exactly the same record as last season after 18 games played, with 16 points gleaned from four wins and four draws; leaving them just two points above the relegation zone.
After a midweek trip to Bergamo saw Alessio Dionisi's men slip out of the Coppa Italia, having been beaten 3-1 by Atalanta, they now return to the Mapei Stadium, where their weak form suggests that a grim battle to survive may be on the cards this spring.
No team lost more Serie A home matches throughout 2023 (10 - level with Empoli), and Sassuolo have not won any of their last six ahead of Fiorentina's visit on Saturday - the Emilian club's worst such streak since 2018.
Team News
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In addition to long-term absentees Dodo and Gaetano Castrovilli - both of whom are on the long road to recovery from ACL injuries - Fiorentina will be without Nico Gonzalez and Riccardo Sottil (both thigh) on Saturday evening.
With the latter pair sidelined and Christian Kouame now representing hosts Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, Josip Brekalo could come into the starting XI as part of the supporting cast for either Lucas Beltran or M'Bala Nzola, who has turned down a call-up by Angola.
After recording his first Serie A assist against Torino, young right-back Michael Kayode will start in the visitors' defence, alongside last week's matchwinner Luca Ranieri.
Meanwhile, Sassuolo's treatment room is still occupied by Uros Racic, Gregoire Defrel, Matias Vina and Pedro Obiang, but Daniel Boloca returned in midweek and scored a late consolation goal in the Coppa Italia exit to Atalanta.
Alessio Dionisi rotated his squad on Wednesday, so fringe players such as Samuele Mulattieri and Cristian Volpato should drop down to the bench; injury-prone talisman Domenico Berardi will be back in the hosts' starting lineup.
Berardi - who has recorded 10 Serie A strikes against Fiorentina to date, having only netted more times versus Milan (11) - should link up with Andrea Pinamonti and French winger Armand Lauriente in the final third.
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Pedersen; Henrique, Thorstvedt; Berardi, Bajrami, Lauriente; Pinamonti
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Duncan, Arthur; Ikone, Bonaventura, Brekalo; Beltran
We say: Sassuolo 1-2 Fiorentina
The distraction of a midweek Coppa Italia defeat will have done struggling Sassuolo no favours ahead of a tough test against in-form Fiorentina. As the Viola have had more than a week to prepare for their first fixture of 2024, expect them to edge out a home side that simply cannot stop conceding goals.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
