Juventus travel to Florence on Friday night to renew their fierce rivalry with Fiorentina in a match that promises to be highly entertaining.
The Bianconeri were beaten 4-2 in this fixture last season after going 2-0 up and it proved to be one of only two defeats the Italian champions suffered all season.
Massimiliano Allegri will be wary of his side repeating the same mistakes as they keep one eye on their crucial Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid next Tuesday.
The hosts have suffered from inconsistent form so far this term, but last week’s 4-0 hammering of Cagliari was their biggest win of the season and their third consecutive victory in all competitions.
Successive league wins over Verona and Cagliari have lifted La Viola to eighth place and firmly back in the hunt for European qualification, but they remain 15 points adrift of Friday’s opponents.
The return of Mario Gomez to the scoresheet was a big boost for Vincenzo Montella’s side, as they are without Giuseppe Rossi until February.
Other absentees due to injury include Federico Bernardeschi, Manuel Pasqual and Cristiano Lupatelli.
Juventus have been in imperious form in the last month, winning six successive matches across Serie A and the Champions League.
Andrea Pirlo’s last-gasp winner in last week’s Derby della Mole earned them a narrow victory over Torino, but Allegri will be looking for his side to improve on what was a below par performance.
The battle at the top with Roma remains very tight, with the Giallorossi keeping pace just three points off Juve, meaning no misitakes can be afforded by the Old Lady.
With Carlos Tevez rumoured to be a substitute for the game, Kingsley Coman could be set for his first start since the opening day win against Chievo.
Stephan Lichtsteiner’s red card in the derby means he will miss the tie through suspension, but Allegri will also have to do without Kwadwo Asamoah and Romulo after they were both ruled out for three months earlier this week.
Their injuries are in addition to the others already sidelined – Andrea Barzagli, Martin Caceres and Luca Marrone.
Expected Starting XIs
Fiorentina (3-5-2): Neto; Savic, Rodriguez, Basanta; Joaquin, Fernandez, Pizarro, Valero, Alonso; Cuadrado, Gomez
Juventus (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Padoin, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pereyra, Pirlo, Pogba; Vidal; Coman, Llorente
