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After climbing to within two points of the top spot in Serie A, Juventus continues their pursuit of rejoining the title race this Sunday evening as they pay a visit to Fiorentina at Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Juventus, often met with a hostile reception in Florence, has been securing victories through a series of disciplined performances. On the other hand, their inconsistent opponents have recently encountered setbacks.
With 23 points earned this season, marking their best start in the first 10 league matches since their last Scudetto win in 2019-20, Juventus is surpassing their initial goal of aiming for a top-four finish in May.
Their narrow 1-0 win over Hellas Verona last week propelled them above Milan in the standings, and Andrea Cambiaso's stoppage-time goal has kept them within striking distance of the dominant leaders, Inter.
With the exception of a game against Sassuolo where they conceded four goals, Juventus has allowed just two more goals since the beginning of the season in late August. Coach Max Allegri's defensive approach has yielded results, though it might not always result in aesthetically pleasing football.
In fact, Juventus has kept a clean sheet in each of their last five matches, boasting a total of seven shutouts so far, which is their best record at this stage in any Serie A season.
After a few challenging years both on and off the field, including their ban from UEFA competition this season, Allegri has been able to focus on intensive training without the distractions of European contests, which is unlike their upcoming opponents.
While Juventus has beaten Fiorentina 80 times in Serie A, compared to Fiorentina's 35 wins, it's worth noting that Juventus has won only twice in their last six league meetings against their old rivals, ahead of this week's clash.
Fiorentina's supporters are ready to rekindle their long-standing rivalry with former players Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa, welcoming them back with a similar level of intensity that was seen when Roberto Baggio switched from Florence to Turin in 1990. Over the years, several others have taken a similar path, further fueling the animosity between the two sides. More importantly, it reflects Fiorentina's recent resurgence and Juventus' decline, as the hosts go into the Stadio Franchi match having remained undefeated in their last four home encounters against Juventus in Serie A.
However, Vincenzo Italiano's team has experienced a slowdown following a strong start to the season and currently trails Juventus by six points before their Sunday evening kickoff. Fiorentina had a five-game unbeaten run with four wins, but they have now lost their last two league matches without scoring a goal, which is concerning, especially considering Juventus' reputation for solid defense.
Their defeat to local rivals Empoli was followed by a convincing victory in the Europa Conference League, where Italiano's men defeated Cukaricki 6-0 a few days later. However, they were left empty-handed after a late Ciro Immobile penalty in a match against Lazio at Stadio Olimpico on Monday night. They now face another challenging test this weekend, and the outcome of Thursday's return fixture against Cukaricki could be crucial for their European progress.
In light of recent injury concerns for both teams, there's a possibility that Federico Chiesa, who has scored 26 goals in 137 league games for Fiorentina, could team up with Dusan Vlahovic, who has 44 goals in 98 games, for Juventus in their upcoming match against their former club.
If Chiesa is chosen to start in place of Moise Kean, the two players will be eager to break their goal-scoring drought against Fiorentina. Since leaving Stadio Franchi, neither of them has directly contributed to a single goal against their former team.
However, Max Allegri faces challenges in forming his starting lineup due to several absent players. Juventus will be without defensive pair Danilo and Alex Sandro, along with wing-backs Tim Weah and Mattia De Sciglio, all sidelined due to injuries.
On the other hand, Fiorentina is also dealing with injury issues, with both of their preferred right-backs unavailable. Michael Kayode, an Italy Under-21 international, recently joined Dodo as a long-term absentee in the treatment room at Viola Park training center. As a result, Fabiano Parisi, typically a left-back, is expected to step in on the opposite flank. Coach Vincenzo Italiano is likely to field a similar lineup to the one that came close to drawing with Lazio.
Nico Gonzalez, a regular presence in Fiorentina's attack, has already scored five goals in nine league matches this season, just one less than what he managed from 24 appearances in the 2022-23 season. He is expected to provide support for his compatriot, Lucas Beltran, in the forward position.
