Having started to slip down the Serie A standings, Fiorentina will try to get back on track by beating rock-bottom Monza when the two teams meet on Monday.
The Viola were well beaten on home turf in their first fixture of 2025, while their ailing hosts started the New Year as they finished the last.
Match preview
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After a streak of eight straight wins in the Italian top flight, Fiorentina have lost three of their last four Serie A matches - drawing the other - while conceding eight goals.
Most recently, they were beaten 3-0 by title contenders Napoli in Florence, which saw them suffer consecutive league defeats at Stadio Franchi for the first time since late 2023.
Though the Viola are still in the mix for a top-four finish, their scintillating streak has quite clearly tailed off, so Raffaele Palladino will be keen to take advantage of two fairly kind fixtures in the space of a week.
Before playing host to a faltering Torino side next weekend, Fiorentina must visit Monza, where Palladino started his senior coaching career.
He managed the Brianzoli in 70 Serie A matches, twice keeping them afloat in the top tier before such impressive work caught the eye of clubs higher up the Calcio food chain.
Now, he returns to the scene of many happy memories, hoping to claim maximum points and deepen his old club's woes.
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After a dramatic 2-2 draw in September's reverse fixture, Monza have faced Fiorentina seven times between Serie A and Serie B, winning only once.
Only a stoppage-time leveller from Robin Gosens denied them victory when the sides met in Tuscany earlier this season, and since then points have been hard to come by for the Biancorossi.
Although the tough decision was taken to sack Palladino's successor Alessandro Nesta and bring in Salvatore Bocchetti last month, the squad have failed to respond to a fresh face in the dugout, remaining rooted to the foot of the table.
After ending 2024 with a painful 2-1 defeat to Parma, when conceding a late goal again cost them dearly, the Brianza-based club were beaten by another relegation rival last time out.
Despite leading through an early Gianluca Caprari penalty, Bocchetti's side let that lead slip, and when Danilo D'Ambrosio was then sent off they could not recover and ultimately slumped to a 2-1 defeat.
Including a tame Coppa Italia exit at the start of December, Monza have now lost all of their last six games, leaving them with a huge mountain to climb during the second half of the season.
History suggests they may already be doomed: over the past 20 years, only two of 13 teams that earned 10 points or fewer at the halfway stage have survived - Crotone in 2017 and Cagliari in 2008.
Team News
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Fiorentina should have a full squad available on Monday evening, including recent signing Michael Folorunsho, who has just joined on loan from Napoli. Fellow new boy Nicolas Valentini should start on the bench.
Raffaele Palladino could shift back to his successful 4-2-3-1 formation after selecting a three-man defence to face Napoli, with former Monza star Andrea Colpani being recalled.
Sure to start up front, Moise Kean is the Viola's top scorer across all competitions with 15 goals this season.
Meanwhile, Monza's squad have managed just 17 Serie A strikes between them so far, and it remains to be seen whether Milan Djuric will be brought back in to lead the hosts' attack on Monday.
Otherwise, Daniel Maldini and Gianluca Caprari - the latter of whom has scored five top-flight goals against Fiorentina - would spearhead a misfiring front line, as Dany Mota is injured.
Although Pablo Mari is back from a ban, Danilo D'Ambrosio must serve a suspension, while Georgios Kyriakopoulos, Matteo Pessina and Roberto Gagliardini are still sidelined.
Monza possible starting lineup:
Turati; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; Pereira, Sensi, Bondo, Birindelli; Caprari, Maldini; Djuric
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Mandragora; Colpani, Beltran, Sottil; Kean
We say: Monza 1-2 Fiorentina
Fiorentina can kickstart their campaign with a win against Serie A's last-placed club, who must be low on confidence.
Though the Viola have started to leak goals, they still have enough nous to score more than once, earning them three valuable points in the race for European places.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
