Fiorentina’s seen its draw within the Convention League and now will get to return its focus to Serie A with a visit north to tackle Torino. Il Toro bought pumped 5-0 by Inter Milan in its opener so these are each groups on the lookout for their first league win of the season, and it could be that the vibes within the Viola camp are significantly higher than these in its Granata counterpart, unusual as it could appear.
The match can be performed Sunday, 31 August 2025, at 4:30 PM GMT/12:30 PM EST, on the Stadio Olimpico Torino in Turin. The forecast calls for one more sizzling, sticky afternoon, so don’t be stunned to see some drained legs, particularly from the blokes who performed in opposition to Polissya on Thursday.
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Three issues to look at for
1. Vibes versus exhaustion. 5-0 within the season opener is a reasonably robust approach to begin for a crew that appeared to be doing fairly nicely within the mercato, choosing up stable reinforcements throughout the pitch and bought Duván Zapata again from harm. Seems new boss Marco Baroni’s nonetheless getting a deal with on issues; rumors of Inter’s demise are vastly overstated however Torino made issues very straightforward, giftwrapping a few targets whereas making an attempt to play out from the again.
Fiorentina’s had its personal points on the again—David de Gea and Pietro Comuzzo ship their regards—however have regarded significantly extra stable. The difficulty is that Dodô and Nicolò Fagioli have each performed all 90 minutes in all 3 video games thus far and should not have the legs to take action once more. There’s nothing resembling a substitute for both at the moment on the roster, so Stefano Pioli could must scheme one thing up.
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To me, that’s the first battle. Baroni received’t be capable of repair the patterns of play he’s spent all summer time putting in with one other week of coaching, though Fiorentina’s hardly the urgent pressure that Inter is. Pioli, in the meantime, should determine learn how to make his lineup work even when he doesn’t have his stars firing on all cylinders, particularly with the warmth more likely to be an element.
2. Working by means of the traces. Polissya did an excellent job of pinning Fiorentina’s midfield by dropping the wingers central and pushing the fullbacks onto the Viola wingbacks, principally going 1-v-1 throughout the pitch. It was a dangerous technique however labored as a result of Edin Džeko didn’t have the tempo to get in behind. That received’t be the case with Kean up entrance however Ruslan Rotan has given Baroni (whose 4-3-3 does some comparable issues) a helpful template.
The hole in the midst of the pitch has been regarding for Fiorentina followers. Mainly, the again 3 and Nicolò Fagioli are one unit, with the opposite two midfielders and the forwards a distinctly separate group. The opposite Viola midfielders haven’t checked in to supply helpful passing choices, and whereas Albert Guðmundsson’s keen to do this, he’s a legal responsibility on the ball in deep positions. Gosens goes to supply peak and width, leaving Dodô as the one one offering even a distant connection between the entrance and the again.
A diagram exhibiting Fiorentina’s ordinary form in possession. The again 3 and Fagioli are one distinct unit whereas the midfielders, forwards, and Gosens are one other. Dodô affords the one bridge in addition to Guðmundsson dropping deep.
Pioli’s predominant job must be discovering a approach to stand up the pitch at tempo when the ball’s on the again. Fagioli’s set the tempo nicely however hasn’t been in a position to break the traces. For my cash, the very best answer is dropping one other midfielder deeper (Hans Nicolussi Caviglia seems excellent for this job) whereas leaving certainly one of Sohm/Mandragora/Ndour roving, however getting the surface centerbacks specifically to take extra accountability within the buildup section might work too. Regardless of the answer, although, we have to see one thing totally different.
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3. Feed the Moose. Final week in opposition to Cagliari, Moise Kean had 6 touches in 90 minutes. You don’t should be some pencil-necked nerd to know that’s a foul mixture of numbers. Fabio Pisacane deliberate an excellent defensive system that Yerry Mina and Sebastiano Luperto executed brilliantly.
It was additionally a system that performed to their strengths, as they have been each allowed to take a seat very deep, negating Kean’s tempo in behind. His job was completely working excessive however the line was so deep that he didn’t have house, and Luperto was at all times there to disrupt his run a bit and guarantee he didn’t get a clear launch whereas chasing the ball.
Kean’s greater than only a sprinter, although. He’s very sturdy and good at successful free kicks as he holds up the ball. If Fiorentina can’t discover him excessive, I’d prefer to seen an effort to contain him slightly bit extra and possibly ship Guðmundsson or Sohm on vertical decoy runs to make a little bit of house for him. Kean’s definitely at his finest utilizing his tempo in behind, however he’s the crew’s finest participant. If there’s no house in behind, he nonetheless must get on the ball extra.
Attainable lineups
Torino (4-3-3): Israel; Biraghi, Masina, Coco, Lazaro; Casadei, Taméze, Gineitis; Vlašić, Simeone, Ngonge ||| Fiorentina (3-5-1-1): de Gea; Ranieri, Pongračić, Comuzzo; Gosens, Mandragora, Fagioli, Sohm, Dodô; Guðmundsson; Kean
Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Division
The bookies are low on Torino after final week however I feel the road would possibly’ve dipped a bit too low. Baroni’s a reliable coach with some good gamers and has a bonus each in being at house and having a full week of coaching. Fiorentina, alternatively, performed on Thursday and continues to be attending to grips with Pioli’s techniques.
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Even so, I’ll again the guests to take their first Serie A win of the season. The mix of Kean and new boy Roberto Piccoli (more likely to debut within the second half) is so bodily overwhelming that Torino’s protection could have bother, and neither of the fullbacks are notably defensively minded. Meaning the holding midfielder should drop in, ceding much more house in midfield, or go away the strikers 2-v-2 in opposition to the centerbacks, a prospect Baroni received’t relish.
I feel it’ll be tight however I’ll go along with a 1-2 win for the Viola, with targets for Kean and Sohm sandwiching a Givoanni Simeone strike assisted by Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina beffata x2). This feels prefer it might be a very good tactical battle that additionally turns very bodily, so good for the impartial, however I additionally suppose it might be Pioli’s first likelihood to essentially showcase his strategic thoughts.
Forza Viola!