The Conference match. Winning and gaining confidence. Tonight’s challenge is Dinamo. A turnover is (almost) mandatory.
Tonight’s match at the Franchi (6.45pm) will pit two teams against each other who, for different reasons, come to the match with the weight of their history and the urgency of the present. Fiorentina, last in Serie A and slipped to 17th place in the rankings Conference After the two defeats against Mainz and AEK, he can no longer afford to make any missteps, even in Europe.
La Dinamo Kiev, only sixth in a Ukrainian championship marked by years of war (Polissya, whom the Viola faced in the summer, currently has four more points) and relegated to 27th place in the “League Phase” standings, arrives with three points from four games in the third UEFA tournament, a youth coach on the bench, and the obligation to stay in contention as much as possible. The setting certainly won’t be one for major occasions: just over 7.500 spectators are expected, 150 of them in the away section. This tenuous atmosphere clearly illustrates how divided Florence is: on the one hand, the need to exploit the final 180 minutes of the maxi-group stage to aim for a tricky qualification for the round of 16 (avoiding the playoffs would mean putting the Conference season behind them in a week and only resuming it in mid-March); on the other, attention is already focused on Verona, their opponents on Sunday in a match that looks like an early relegation final. In this precarious balance, Vanoli will be forced to make forced decisions.
The absences of Fagioli, Fazzini, and Gosens (the German’s recovery for the weekend is unlikely) will require extensive rotation. De Gea will remain in goal, having been called upon to bounce back after a forgettable day in Reggio Emilia, while Ranieri should rest his defense, with Viti ready to slot into the trio completed by Pongracic and Pablo Marí. There will be a full emergency in midfield: Mandragora will continue to be expected, while Nicolussi Caviglia and Ndour will occupy the central position. Dodo and Fortini will be given space in the flanks, with Parisi set to manage the game ahead of Verona. In attack, Kean and Gudmundsson appear destined for the bench: the choice should therefore fall to the duo of Piccoli and Dzeko, expected to provide weight and, above all, goals. Fiorentina needs the same goals like bread and butter to keep the flame of Europe burning bright.
