Fiorentina v Chievo – Preview: Viola look to Europe as Gialloblu seek to better city rivals

Date: 29th May 2015 at 8:25am
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Fiorentina host bottom half Cheivo on Sunday afternoon at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in the final game of the Serie A season as both sides look to finish the season positively and build ahead of next season.

The Viola started the month of April with aspirations of Champions League football but after four consecutive league defeats, the Tuscan outfit’s chances of such an achievement evaporated.

However, after a resurgent run of four wins in succession, Fiorentina look set to record Europa League football for the second season in a row.

Fiorentina go into the round in fifth place on the back of a 3-2 victory away to Palermo and sit two places ahead of Genoa, with a win on Sunday evening ensuring their position in Europe’s second tier of continental football.

Chievo will be looking to spoil the party and a successful run has seen the Flying Donkeys record only two league defeats in their last 13 Serie A fixtures and ensuring safety for another season.

Sitting 14th in the standings, Rolando Maran’s side will be looking to continue their run and overtake city rivals Hellas Verona to ensure Gialloblu supporters have something to celebrate at the end of a long campaign.

Chievo will be disappointed to come away from last weekends’s fixture with lowly Atalanta with just a point, which has become a habit for the Veronese side of late, recording six draws in their last eight fixtures.

The Flying Donkeys’s will need to look on improving their strike force after a feeble showing in front of goal with only 28 goals recorded in the entire campaign, the leagues lowest tally.

Fiorentina have taken advantage of their recent encounters with Chievo, recording a 2-1 victory at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi in January.

The Viola remaining unbeaten in their last six games against the Flying Donkeys after recording five victories and one draw in a run stretching back to October 2012.

The home side will be confident of getting a result against weaker opposition but against a stubborn side who have taken a point against Inter, AC Milan and Roma in recent months, the Viola will need to be wary and respect their confident visitors.

Fiorentina’s Neto and Jasmin Kurtic will miss Sunday’s match through suspension, while Khouma Babacar and Giuseppe Rossi will miss out through injury.

Juan Varas and Micah Ricahards are both unlikely to feature after picking up knocks.

Bostan Cesar will miss out for Chievo through suspension, with Alessandro Gamberini and Perparim Hetemaj to be evaluated ahead of the match.

Form Guide: Fiorentina (L-L-W-W-W-W-), Chievo (D-W-D-D-L-D)

Expected Starting XIs

Fiorentina: Tatarusanu; Pasqual, Savic, Alonso, Tomovic; Pizarro, Fernandez, Valero; Joaquin, Ilicic, Salah

Chievo: Bardi; Frey, Dainelli, Zukanovic, Biraghi; Schelotto, Izco, Radovanovic, Birsa; Paloschi, Meggiorini

 

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