Fiorentina will look to bring their form from 2013 into the new year when the host struggling Livorno at home.
Davide Nicola's men are winless in eight matches and have only taken four points away from home. With Livorno second from bottom, another defeat could cost the under fire Nicola his job even if it's no shame losing away to La Viola.
Fiorentina ended 2013 in fine form with wins over Dnipro, Bologna and Sassuolo to see out the year for Montella's charges. La Viola qualified for the first knockout round of the Europa League unbeaten collecting 16 points while maintaining their domestic form to keep the top 3 within sights.
Despite their struggles, Livorno are just two points off safety and have shown they have enough grit in them to handle a full out relegation dog fight. The problem appears to be up front, having scored just 4 goals in the last 7 matches. The gulf in class between the sides is magnified by the fact that Livorno as a squad have only managed one goal more thanFiorentina's - and the league's top scorer - Giuseppe Rossi thus far this season.
The visitors will be hoping their side can pick points off a big side, much like they did against A.C. Milan last month. However, the difference between Allegri's Milan and Montella's Fiorentina is the excellent form of the latter so far this season, meaning there's unlikey to be any respite for the Amaranto.
Keep an eye on:
Giuseppe Rossi; The Fiorentina forward is the league's top scorer, and will have to carry the weight of leading the purple hunt for goals for at least another week in the absence of Mario Gomez. His form in the past year has shown nothing to suggest he can't continue to do so.
Probable line-ups
Fiorentina (4-3-3): Neto; Tomovic; Savic; Rodriguez; Pasqual; Aquilani; Ambrosini; Borja Valero; Cuadrado; Rossi; Vargas
Livorno (3-5-2): Bardi; Coda; Rinaudo; Ceccherini; Schiatarella; Luci; Biagianti; Greco; Lambrughi; Siligardi; Paulinho