FIORENTINA v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

On Matchday 7 of Serie A, the Rossoneri face a tough and historically challenging encounter before the international break. Fiorentina hosts AC Milan at the Franchi, presenting an important test for Fonseca's team. They aim to conclude this intense period of fixtures on a positive note and bounce back following their recent European defeat. The match is set to kick off at 20:45 CEST, so let’s explore the preview and details leading up to the starting whistle.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
The Rossoneri are coming off three consecutive league victories and are eager to make it four. The defeat against Leverkusen hasn't dampened their spirits, especially as AC Milan felt they deserved more from that match. Now, the focus shifts back to the league and a rapidly changing table. To overcome the Fiorentina challenge, Fonseca is expected to rely on the starting XI he has deployed recently in a 4-4-2 formation. With Morata back in action, he is likely to partner with Abraham up front, while there are a few doubts regarding the other positions. Calabria, Jović, and Loftus-Cheek remain unavailable, but Zeroli, Camarda, and Jiménez have joined the squad.

"Continuity is important at this stage of the season", said Fonseca during the press conference. "Playing in Florence is always challenging. They are a great team, but we are ready to put in a strong performance. It will be a complicated match, as they possess quality and are aggressive. This will be an important test, and we need to maintain the momentum we've built in recent league matches".

LATEST FROM FIORENTINA
It's a positive period for Palladino's Fiorentina. On Thursday, they secured a home victory, winning 2-0 against The New Saints in their Conference League group stage opener. In their last two Serie A outings, the Tuscans achieved one win (2-1 against Lazio) and one draw (0-0 at Empoli). Fiorentina has welcomed back key players, notably Guðmundsson, and effectively integrated new signings, including former Rossonero Adli, who scored against the Welsh side in a match that allowed the Viola to rotate several players. Mandragora is unavailable, and Pongračić is under evaluation. The main uncertainties remain in defence, where Ranieri is competing with Biraghi, while Guðmundsson and Colpani will support Kean in attack.

"It will be a great challenge; we are ready and pumped", said Raffaele Palladino on the eve of the match. "We need to play a perfect game, as we're up against a great team with excellent individual talents. They are in good form and have changed their playing system in recent weeks, so we must do well to limit their strengths".

PRE-MATCH STATS

• Fiorentina and AC Milan have drawn only one of their last 13 encounters in Serie A (on 22 February 2020, ending 1-1 at the Franchi), with the Rossoneri achieving exactly double the number of victories compared to the Viola during this period: eight to four.
• AC Milan (11) has earned more than 10 points after the first six matches played in Serie A for the fifth consecutive season, matching the number of times they did so in the previous 15 seasons in the tournament.
• With 14 goals scored in this Serie A season (an average of 2.3 per match), AC Milan boasts the best attack in the league after the first six matchdays: the Rossoneri have scored exactly double the number of goals as Fiorentina (seven) in this championship.
• AC Milan has already seen nine different goalscorers in this Serie A season, more than any other team in the league. In fact, no team has more in the top five European leagues for the 2024/25 season, with six other teams also reaching nine goalscorers.
• AC Milan and Fiorentina (51 each) are two of the three teams that have completed the most dribbles in the first six matchdays of this Serie A season, behind only Lazio (53).

WHERE TO WATCH FIORENTINA v AC MILAN
In Italy, Fiorentina v AC Milan will be broadcast on DAZN. To watch it in a different country, you can check the "Where to Watch Milan on TV" section under "Abroad." On the Rossoneri channels, the Matchday coverage on Milan TV will begin at 20:00 CEST, leading up to kick-off, followed by interviews and a press conference with  Fonseca. Don't miss the coverage on acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, official social media channels, and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SERIE A
Luca Pairetto will be the referee for Fiorentina v AC Milan, marking his 124th match in Italy's top division as an experienced official from the Nichelino section. He has officiated ten matches involving the Rossoneri, the most recent being a 3-2 victory away at Frosinone last February. Assisting him will be linesmen Rossi and Cecco, along with fourth official Rapuano. Sozza will serve as the VAR, assisted by Abisso.

Serie A Matchday 7 kicked off on Friday 4 October with Napoli 3-1 Como and Hellas Verona 2-1 Venezia. On Saturday 5 October we had Udinese 1-0 Lecce, Atalanta 5-1 Genoa and Inter 3-2 Torino. There are five fixtures scheduled for Sunday 6 October: Juventus v Cagliari at 12:30 CEST, Bologna v Parma and Lazio v Empoli at 15:00 CEST, Monza v Roma at 18:00 CEST, and finally, Fiorentina v AC Milan at 20:45 CEST.

The table: Napoli* 16; Inter* 14; Udinese* 13; Juventus* 12; AC Milan and Torino* 11; Empoli, Lazio and Atalanta* 10; Roma and Hellas Verona* 9; Como* 8; Fiorentina and Bologna 7; Parma, Cagliari, Genoa* and Lecce* 5; Venezia* 4; Monza 3. (* one game more)

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