Fiorentina will be hoping to cement their qualification credentials in Europa Conference League Group A on Thursday, when they face Hearts at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.
The two sides will lock horns for the second time in a week, with the reverse fixture finishing in a comfortable win for Fiorentina at Tynecastle.
Match preview
Fiorentina have endured a mixed start to proceedings in 2022-23 on both domestic and European fronts.
In Serie A, they currently sit 13th in the table having won just two of their nine matches thus far, and manager Vincenzo Italiano will be concerned by the number of goals his side has scored domestically, with just seven efforts to their name as things stand.
In the context of the league, this is the joint-second worst goalscoring record alongside Cremonese and Spezia, although Fiorentina have enjoyed a slightly better start to life in continental competition.
From their three fixtures fulfilled so far, the Viola occupy second place in the group having garnered four points.
Following a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to RFS and a 3-0 defeat away to group leaders Istanbul Basaksehir, they gained their first three points in Group A on matchday three when goals from Rolando Mandragora, Christian Kouame and Luka Jovic propelled them to an easy 3-0 triumph against Hearts at Tynecastle.
Statistically, Fiorentina have been the second most creative side in the tournament so far, providing Italiano with plenty of encouragement. With 62 attempts fashioned on goal from the Italian side in their three games, they trail only Slavia Prague, who have managed to conjure up 78 attempts on goal from their exploits in the Europa Conference League.
Going into the tie against Hearts on Thursday, the Fiorentina support will hope that their inventiveness will transcend into more chances taken as they seek a positive result that could take them to within touching distance of qualifying for the knockout phase of the competition.
On the other hand, Hearts enter the fray without a win in three across all competitions and need to show their mettle on the continental stage to keep their hopes of qualifying from Group A alive.
Domestically, Robbie Neilson's side did start their season in relatively good form, but they have slipped down to fifth place in the Scottish Premiership table after a crushing 4-0 defeat to Rangers and a draw at Kilmarnock last weekend.
Injuries have played more than a small part in this, with key men such as Liam Boyce, Beni Baningime, Kye Rowles and Craig Halkett all serving lengthy spells on the sidelines, contributing heavily to their drop in form.
Nevertheless, the Jambos could overtake Fiorentina and move into second place in the group with a win on Thursday evening, having picked up one victory and two losses from their three matches to sit third as things stands.
Hearts initially started in disappointing circumstances with a 4-0 defeat at home to Istanbul Basaksehir, leaving much to be desired about their ability to compete in Europe.
In the second round of matches, they managed to record their only win in the Europa Conference League so far, with goals from Lawrence Shankland and Alan Forrest against RFS giving the Scots a much-needed springboard for progression in difficult surroundings.
If they are serious about qualification, their defensive work will need to improve over the coming weeks; Hearts have shipped seven goals so far, giving them the joint-fourth worst backline in the tournament, and Robbie Neilson will be desperate to instill some solidity into his side as he eyes a shock result to give Hearts momentum going forward in Group A.
Team News
For the hosts, Gaetano Castrovilli is expected to be out until 2023 and will miss out once again as he battles a serious knee injury.
Besides that, Riccardo Sottil is likely to be unavailable for the visit of Hearts due to missing their last three matches with a knock.
Conversely, Hearts will be without several senior players for the trip to face Fiorentina.
Lewis Neilson is suspended owing to picking up a straight red card in the reverse fixture last week and will be unable to participate.
Robert Snodgrass is ruled out due to ineligibility as he was signed after the squad registration deadline as a free agent in early September, while Kye Rowles, Beni Baningime, Craig Halkett and Liam Boyce are all long-term absentees who will not participate in the crunch clash.
Cameron Devlin could return after missing the draw in Kilmarnock due to suspension.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Gollini; Terzic, Igor, Martinez, Biraghi; Mandragora, Amrabat, Bonaventura; Kouame, Jovic, Ikone
Hearts possible starting lineup:
Gordon; Smith, Kingsley, Cochrane; Atkinson, Kiomourtzoglou, Devlin, Halliday; McKay, Forrest, Shankland
We say: Fiorentina 3-0 Hearts
Both sides will be keen to strengthen their bid for qualification to the knockout rounds of the Europa Conference League as the group stages draw to a close. In light of this, we expect Fiorentina to have too much for Hearts which will result in a comfortable victory for the home team.
Their attacking players will have too much for a makeshift Hearts defence, resulting in the margin of victory being the same as the 3-0 victory in Edinburgh last week.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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