Fiorentina started the season being unlucky as their first four games of the season saw the Viola unable to win. After going 18 games without a win dating back to last season, Fiorentina finally ended their bad run in their recent fixture, defeating Sampdoria by a score of 2-1. Fiorentina had goals from German Pezzella and Federico Chiesa to lead the game 2-0, although a late goal from Federico Bonazzoli made it 2-1, the Viola finished the game strong and found their first win in 18 games.
Fiorentina will now look to build off their first win. It should help their confidence as they have been unable to win since last season and, surely, it will keep Vincenzo Montella’s job safe for the time being. Chiesa continued his strong start to the season as the forward has one goal and one assist this season. The Italian has worked hard creating chances while his link-up play and presence on the field has been noticeable.
AC Milan continues their struggles this season as the Rossoneri lost their recent fixture against Torino. Krzysztof Piatek was rewarded a penalty shot in the first half of the game which the Polish striker converted to give Milan a 1-0 lead. The first 65 minutes of the game had the Rossoneri play some of their best football this season, however, the last 25 minutes of the game was a collapse. Andrea Bellotti made the Rossoneri pay on two defensive mistakes which had the Italian striker score twice and helped Torino come from behind to win 2-1. It was a very disappointing result for AC Milan as they played well most of the match, yet were unable to continue that trend for a full 90 minutes.
In their first five games of the season, Milan has only scored three goals while giving up five. The defence has been for the most part decent this season but will need more production from their forwards if they are to win on most game nights. Milan will now face Fiorentina, who has the potential to score many goals and has just found their first win since last season. Expect the Viola to come into this game with extra motivation, while, for Milan, they will be disappointed and will need to regroup for their upcoming match against Fiorentina.
Team news
AC Milan
Unavailable: Pepe Reina (Suspended), Caldara (Injured) Doubtful: Paqueta (Injured)
Fiorentina
Unavailable: Rasmussen (Injured) Doubtful: Pedro (Injured)
Predicted line-up
AC Milan (4-3-1-2): Donnarumma – Hernandez, Calabria, Musacchio, Romagnoli – Bennace, Calhanoglu, Kessie – Suso – Leao, Piatek
Fiorentina (3-5-2): Dragowski – Milenkovic, Pezzella, Caceres – Dalbert, Lirola, Pulgar, Badelj, Castrovilli – Chiesa, Ribery
Key clashes
Piatek has scored two goals this season with both coming from a penalty kick, however, the striker will need to be better up front if the Rossoneri are to have a good chance of winning against Fiorentina. The club has struggled to score this season as they have totalled three goals in their first five matches this season. Piatek came over from Genoa last season and had a productive campaign between his previous club and current club, yet has been unable to carry that over to the current season.
Chiesa had a strong start to the season and has scored one goal and one assist. The forward has worked hard upfront creating scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. Chiesa has the most shots this season with 18 where 10 have been on target. When Fiorentina has been on the offensive against their opponent, the striker has made the most of his opportunity by getting the ball on goal. Expect the same this Sunday as Chiesa will aim to take advantage of a fragile Milan squad that hasn’t been in great form this season.