FIORENTINA v AC MILAN: OPPONENT REVIEW

A trip to Tuscany for AC Milan: on Saturday 30 March, the Rossoneri will face Fiorentina in what will be the 168th meeting between the two sides in Serie A. Although they are separated by a significant number of points (62 compared to 43), and despite the fact Pioli’s men are enjoying an excellent run of form (the Rossoneri have lost just one of their last 14 league matches, winning ten and drawing three), the match at the Franchi will be anything but simple.

Indeed, the Rossoneri will be coming up against a side who have been strong on home soil recently. In fact, Fiorentina have lost just one of their last nine matches in Florence (W6, D2). This defeat came against Inter (0-1), the only time they’ve failed to score across the aforementioned nine fixtures. In general, the Viola have drawn their last two league matches (they haven’t played out three consecutive draws since the period between February and June 2020), and they’ll be looking to return to winning ways when they face the team currently occupying second place in the table.

AERIAL STRENGTH AND TAKING AIM: THE VIOLA’S STRENGTHS
One of the Viola’s biggest strengths is their effectiveness in the air. In fact, the Tuscans have scored the most headed goals this league season (twelve) through seven different players (the same as Atalanta and one less than Roma with eight). The two standout Viola men in this regard have been Martínez Quarta and Nicolás González, both of whom have nodded home three times. Across the division, only Pinamonti (four), Zapata (five) and Giroud (five) have done better.

It must be said, however, Fiorentina will be coming up against the side who have shipped the fewest in this manner across the top five European divisions in 2023/24 (the Rossoneri have conceded just one headed goal). AC Milan will need to be aware of the fact that the Viola like to take aim. While Italiano’s men are sixth in the current ‘shots on target’ ranking after 29 matchdays (126, which puts them behind Bologna, Atalanta, AC Milan, Napoli and Inter), only Liverpool (19) have struck the frame of the goal on more occasions than Fiorentina (17, the same as Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich) in Europe’s major leagues. They just need to adjust their aim slightly.

GONZÁLEZ, MARTÍNEZ QUARTA, BELTRÁN AND MORE: FIORENTINA'S GOALSCORING EXPLOITS
When assessing the potential threats AC Milan’s backline could face at the Franchi, it needs to be pointed out that lots of players have pitched in with goals in the Viola’s most recent outings. In fact, Fiorentina’s last ten goals in Serie A have been scored by ten different players: Belotti, Ikoné, Martínez Quarta, Nico González, Barák, Beltrán, Kayode, Bonaventura (who, however, will miss the match against the Rossoneri through suspension), Ranieri and Mandragora. Italiano thus has many pawns he can move, even if some are more dangerous than others.

The first name that springs to mind is Nicolás González, who, despite only netting once in his last ten league matches, has already equalled his best-ever goalscoring return in a single Serie A or Bundesliga season: seven, a tally he also achieved with the Viola in 2021/22. Pioli’s men also need to keep a close eye on Belotti, who has contributed to six goals against AC Milan (five goals and an assist). Four of his five finishes against AC Milan have come on home soil, including a brace for Torino on 26 September 2019. Meanwhile, Lucas Beltrán is in excellent form and has been Fiorentina’s top scorer in Serie A since the start of December. He’s bagged six in this period, at least four more than any other Viola player.

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