Former Juventus striker Fabrizio Ravanelli believes Fiorentina will treat their match against Juventus like a derby, meaning Friday’s match will be a stern test for the Bianconeri.
The Old Lady will be looking to avenge last season’s 4-2 defeat in Florence, in a match that saw Giuseppe Rossi net a famous hat-trick, but the 45-year-old knows the match will be a tough encounter for his former side.
“Both teams come from positive results – Juventus have won throughout all of November. Fiorentina, who got back an important player in (Mario) Gomez, come from two away victories in Serie A and one in the Europa League, which finally allowed them to establish some continuity,” Ravanelli has told Firenzeviola.it.
“In brief, we have all the premises for a good game. Fiorentina-Juventus seldom disappoints when it comes to a spectacle, among other things because in Florence this match is lived like a derby but for us it’s just a game like any other.
“In the ranks of Fiorentina the players who really bring them up a notch in terms of quality are Gomez and [Juan] Cuadrado.
“It’s harder to highlight a specific individual when it comes to Juventus, because Allegri’s squad is full of champions.
“But I don’t think that Friday’s match will be decided by a single player, rather I expect one of those games in which victory comes only to those who play as a team. It is going to be a duel between Fiorentina and Juventus on the whole, and not between one player and another.
“As a Juventus fan I hope they can have the upper hand, and I expect they’ll want to avenge the 4-2 they suffered at the Artemio Franchi last season.
“I think Juve are the favourites. The Viola still haven’t found their true identity, while the Bianconeri have picked up an astounding pace.”
