Following their European success in midweek, Fiorentina host an ailing Lecce side in Serie A on Sunday.

When the teams walk out at Stadio Artemio Franchi, the hosts will be aiming for a seventh straight win, while their Puglian visitors have lost each of their last three games without even scoring.

Match preview

Having returned from Turkey on Thursday night with a place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals assured, Fiorentina's spectacular surge continues, stretching to a run of six straight successes in all competitions.

Defying an awful pitch away to last-16 opponents Sivasspor, the Viola found themselves level on aggregate after conceding in the 35th minute, but Arthur Cabral equalised just before the break and they ultimately booked their place in the last eight with a 5-1 victory over two legs.

Set to face Lech Poznan in the next round, Fiorentina now return to domestic duty, and they have also come out on top in each of their last three league matches.

Moving them to within touching distance of the top half of the Serie A standings, Vincenzo Italiano's side swept past Cremonese last weekend, backing up victories against Verona and Milan.

Also into the Coppa Italia semi-finals, on Sunday they will aim to post four straight league wins for the first time since 2018, when current Milan coach Stefano Pioli was still in charge at Stadio Franchi.

With Cabral now enjoying his best form since replacing Dusan Vlahovic as Fiorentina's main man up front, the Tuscan club will expect to improve upon the result in October's reverse fixture against Lecce, when Christian Kouame's goal was only good enough for a 1-1 draw down in Puglia.

That stalemate at Stadio Via del Mare was the eighth time in a row Lecce have failed to score more than once against Fiorentina in the league, a run dating back to January 2009.

Finding goals has been an even more acute problem for the Salentini of late, as following last week's 2-0 loss to Torino - a tempestuous encounter between the two mid-table sides - they have lost three games on the spin without finding the net.

An Alexis Blin strike in last month's 2-1 win over Atalanta is still the most recent time Marco Baroni's men troubled the scorers, and that leaves them with work to do in order to confirm Serie A safety.

Eight points above the drop zone heading into the 27th round of fixtures, they reached the top flight as Serie B champions last spring so will be desperate to avoid a quick return after making such a promising start to the season.

While the clubs' recent form contrasts starkly, Lecce at least boast a fine record at the Franchi: the southern side have won three of their last four league meetings with Fiorentina in Florence and are unbeaten there since 2006.

Team News

Following a trip to Turkey in midweek, Vincenzo Italiano is bound to make several changes to his lineup on Sunday afternoon, with Cristiano Biraghi returning from suspension to start at left-back and Igor slotting back in to central defence.

Luka Jovic could also be brought in up front to give Arthur Cabral a rest; however, the Brazilian bagged an eighth goal in as many games on Thursday and has three from his last four in the league. Indeed, among Serie A players who have scored at least four times so far in 2023, only Napoli's Victor Osimhen has a better minutes-per-goal ratio than Cabral's (one every 103 minutes).

Though a Sivasspor supporter ran on to the pitch and struck Alessandro Bianco in the face, leaving him with a bloodied nose, the young midfielder should still take a place on the bench this weekend; Aleksa Terzic (thigh) is the Viola's only injury absentee.

Meanwhile, Lecce may shake things up following a fruitless spell in the final third: Federico Di Francesco (631 minutes) and Lorenzo Colombo (555) have not been involved in a single goal over the last 10 Serie A matchdays.

Defensive duo Marin Pongracic (ankle) and Kastriot Dermaku (hernia) miss out through injury once again, as Samuel Umtiti and cult hero Federico Baschirotto remain partners at the heart of the Giallorossi's back four.

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Igor, Biraghi; Mandragora, Amrabat, Bonaventura; Gonzalez, Cabral, Saponara

Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Umtiti, Gallo; Maleh, Hjulmand, Blin; Strefezza, Colombo, Di Francesco

We say: Fiorentina 2-1 Lecce

Recent trends suggest there should be only one winner on Sunday, as Fiorentina are flying high and Lecce are at a low. While it may not be quite so straightforward given the Viola's European exertions, their forwards are full of confidence now - a total contrast with those of the visitors.


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