FIORENTINA v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

With the international break now behind us, the Rossoneri will be back on Matchday 30 of Serie A. Awaiting them is a delicate and dangerous away day: Fiorentina v AC Milan at the Franchi. There are three important points up for grabs to get back to it in the right way for a final push to the end of the season with renewed energy. Let's jump in ahead of kick-off at 20:45 CET with our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The pause came in the middle of a very good run for the Rossoneri side and their five consecutive wins considering all competitions. Over the break, several Milanisti also did well with their respective National teams, affirming their individual good form. The idea will be to get back on the right path straight away after the momentary interruption. Coach Pioli will need to assess how to handle a big hole in the side, Theo Hernández, suspended, will not be available and Florenzi could likely take his place, able to play on the left like earlier this season. Pobega, Kalulu and Kjær are also out, Pioli, Musah and Loftus-Cheek are on a booking.

"Fiorentina is a strong side, they've only lost once at home",  Pioli spoke on the eve of the game. "It's a hard game in Florence, I am expecting an aggressive team that pushes forward. It will depend on the quality of both teams' game plans. We know our results after the break, and it wasn't what we expected, but each break is a different situation".

LATEST FROM FIORENTINA
Joe Barone's passing has inevitably marked the last few weeks for the Viola. The Italian side didn't play the final game before the break but are back together after a mixed period between January and February, more in terms of results than performance. 6 good results in a row plus qualification to the Conference League quarter-finals. Bonaventura will be out due to suspension, but the ex-player of the day, Italiano, will have the full squad available. There are several options for his classic 4-2-3-1: Beltrán could sit behind Belotti with González and Ikone on the wings whilst Arthur is back in the middle.

Vincenzo Italiano spoke: "AC Milan is in great form, we are playing at home and want to get going again with a positive result in a difficult game. The squad is doing well, we need to make the most of the home ground factor to put AC Milan in trouble. The whole stadium will give us the strength to do our best, I expect big push from the fans, especially in difficult moments".

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• AC Milan has won 5 of the last 7 league games against Fiorentina (2L), as many as in the previous 18 matches against the Viola in Serie A (6D, 7L).
• The record is massively balanced between the two sides at the Franchi in the last 13 Serie A games: 4 wins each and 5 draws, with exactly 17 goals scored apiece. 
• Vincenzo Italiano and Stefano Pioli have never drawn a game in Serie A in their 7 meetings as coaches: 3 wins each.

WHERE TO WATCH FIORENTINA v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be broadcast by DAZN and Sky. To watch Fiorentina v AC Milan in a different country, you can consult the "AC Milan on TV" webpage, clicking on the heading "Abroad". On the Rossoneri channels, Milan TV will provide live matchday coverage starting from 19:45 CET and continuing up until shortly before kick-off. After full-time, there will be interviews and Coach Pioli's press conference. Also not to be missed is the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App and our official social media profiles.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Fabio Maresca will officiate Fiorentina v AC Milan as his 130th game in the Italian top flight. He has had several past games for both sides, the latest for the Rossoneri was the 3-2 win away against Udinese in January and for the Viola it was the home win over Bologna (2-1) in November. Accompanying him will be assistants Costanzi and Passeri, with Ayroldi as fourth official. Di Paolo will be on VAR duty and Guida AVAR.

The international break is over and Serie A is back on Matchday 30. Opening the weekend of many games on Saturday 30 March will be Napoli v Atalanta at 12:30 CET, followed by Genoa v Frosinone and Torino v Monza at 15:00 CET, Lazio v Juventus comes at 18:00 CET before the Rossoneri game. No games on Sunday 31 March and the weekend will finish off on Monday 1 April with Bologna v Salernitana at 12:30 CEST, Cagliari v Hellas Verona and Sassuolo v Udinese at 15:00 CEST, Lecce v Roma at 18:00 CEST, and Inter v Empoli at 20:45 CEST.

Here is the current table: Inter 76; AC Milan 62; Juventus 59; Bologna 54; Roma 51; Atalanta 47*; Napoli 45; Fiorentina* and Lazio 43; Monza 42; Torino 41; Genoa 34; Lecce 28; Udinese 27; Hellas Verona and Cagliari 26; Empoli 25; Frosinone 24; Sassuolo 23; Salernitana 14. (* = one game less)

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