Serie A | Gameweek 14

Dec 1, 2024 at 5pm UK

Stadio Artemio Franchi

Fiorentinavs.Inter Milan

Match preview

Fiorentina have really turned things around over the past couple of months, with a string of wins at home and abroad that's seen them break into Serie A's top four.

Before the November international break, Raffaele Palladino's side had won six league games in a row. They returned to action with a 2-0 victory in Como last weekend, with top scorer Moise Kean netting the crucial second goal at Stadio Sinigaglia.

The club is now on track to set a new record for consecutive top-flight wins, with eight straight victories on the horizon. This would match the previous record set in 1960. The team has already secured another three points in the Conference League, which is a great start.

On Thursday night, Palladino's team, which had a lot of changes, just managed to beat Pafos 3-2 at Stadio Franchi. This puts them in one of eight automatic qualifying places for the last 16.

The Tuscan club have been guilty of wasting chances in the past, but they're now decisive in attack. In addition to Kean's supreme form, no team has scored more goals via set-pieces in Europe's top five leagues this season.

However, they're now up against what could be their toughest test yet: Fiorentina have lost six of their last eight matches against Inter in Serie A, with just one win since the 2017-18 season.

It's true that Inter have won all four of their last visits to Florence, with an aggregate score of 10-4. In Serie A history, no club has ever achieved five away wins in a row against Fiorentina.

The Milan giants will be going into Sunday's game in just as good shape as their hosts, if not better. They're in with a chance of defending the Scudetto and remaining unbeaten in this season's Champions League.

Inter are currently second in the league table with four wins from five, and they beat RB Leipzig on Tuesday evening.

The Nerazzurri are close to sealing an automatic place in the last 16 after keeping five consecutive clean sheets. They produced another shutout last weekend, when they scored five goals in the first half of a Serie A away match for just the second time.

After Marcus Thuram scored twice in their 5-0 win against Hellas Verona, Simone Inzaghi's side have scored 18 times before half-time in Serie A this season. Fiorentina will need to start strongly to have a chance of winning.

Recent Performance

Fiorentina Serie A form:WWWWWW

Fiorentina form (all competitions):WWLWWW

Inter Milan Serie A form:WDWWDW

Inter Milan form (all competitions):WWWDWW

Team News

Fiorentina's first XI will be rotated again, as Raffaele Palladino usually picks a completely different team for the Conference League. This means that Moise Kean, Robin Gosens and David de Gea are just a few of the players set to return.

There's a chance that Milan-owned midfielder Yacine Adli will be back in action after a minor injury ruled him out on Thursday. Icelandic striker Albert Gudmundsson could also be back in the squad after several weeks on the sidelines. However, Amir Richardson is still unavailable.

Kean just needs one more goal to reach double figures in a league campaign for the second time – after the 13 he scored for Paris Saint-Germain in 2020-21 – while Inter's Marcus Thuram has also been in great form this season.

The French forward has already scored multiple goals on four occasions, and he could replace Mehdi Taremi to reunite with Lautaro Martinez this weekend. The latter has found the net seven times in his last five appearances against Fiorentina.

The only players missing from the Inter squad are Benjamin Pavard and reserve goalkeeper Raffaele Di Gennaro. Italy internationals Francesco Acerbi and Davide Frattesi are both hoping to be fit to play.

Possible starting lineup

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi, Bove; Colpani, Gudmundsson; Kean

Inter Milan possible starting lineup:

Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez