Fiorentina Vs AC Milan: Milan Wants To Repeat Last Season's Sweet Record At Artemio Franchi

Christian Pulisic heats up AC Milan's front line (photo: Doc. acmilan.com)

JAKARTA - Fiorentina and AC Milan will face each other at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, in the Serie A match, Sunday 6 September. Both teams came with contrasts in European competitions. Fiorentina managed to overcome weaker opponents, while Milan suffered their second defeat in the Champions League.

Fiorentina, who reached the final of two consecutive years in the Conference League, are expected to easily pass Wales's opponent, The New Saints, in their first match in the competition on Thursday. However, Raffaele Palladino's team had to wait until the 65th minute to score the opener through Yacine Adli. Moise Kean then confirmed victory with a second goal.

On the other hand, Fiorentina's domestic performance has not been too impressive since Palladino took over from Vincenzo Italiano. They have only bagged one win from Serie A's first four games before beating Lazio at the end of September. Last week's goalless draw against Empoli put them in 11th place in the standings, with an average of just one more than one point per game.

Fiorentina were not easily beaten while playing at home, losing only once in their last 11 home games in Serie A. However, the defeat came from Milan in March, which completed Milan's double win over Fiorentina last season.

Milan came into this match with a better performance in Serie A. They are unbeaten in the last four league games, including ending Inter Milan's dominance in derby. However, in the Champions League, Milan have not been able to find the same rhythm, with defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen.

However, in Serie A, Milan were in third place after six games, with a 3-0 win over Lecce last week. Goals from Alvaro Morata, Theo Hernandez, and Christian Pulisic gave Milan 14 goals this season, making them the team with the most goals in Serie A.

Fiorentina is expected to return in full force after rotating in the middle of the week. Christian Kouame, who played a single striker in the match against The New Saints, is likely to remain a mainstay on the front lines. The trio defenders Luca Ranieri, Pietro Commuzzo, and Lucas Martinez Quarta will return after a suspension in Europe, but Marin Pongracic is still absent due to a thigh injury.

AC Milan kemungkinan akan melakukan sedikit perubahan dari squad yang menghadapi Bayer Leverkusen. Tammy Abraham dan Alvaro Morata akan bersaing untuk tempat di lini depan, sementara Rafael Leao dan Christian Pulisic dipastikan akan tampil. Leao telah mencetak gol dalam tiga laga terakhir melawan Fiorentina, sementara Pulisic sedang dalam performa terbaiknya dengan mencetak gol dalam tiga pertandingan terakhir di Serie A.

Captain Milan, Davide Calabria, returned to the field after recovering from a muscle injury, but Marco Sportiello, Ismael Bennacer, and Alessandro Florenzi are still sidelined due to injury.

With various performances from both teams, this match is predicted to be tight. Fiorentina is strong at home, but Milan comes with a more consistent squad in the league.

Fiorentina:De Gea; Martinez Quarta, Gumuzzo, Ranieri; Dodo, Cataldi, Bove, Gosens; Colpani, Gudmundsson; Kean

AC Milan:Maignan; Emerson, Gabbia, Pavlovic, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Morata, Leao; Abraham