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At the midpoint of Serie A, Fiorentina and Bologna, separated by a single point in the league standings, are set to collide in the Coppa Italia quarterfinals on Tuesday evening.
Fiorentina aim for their seventh national cup and currently hold a higher position in the league compared to Bologna. However, Bologna s recent triumph over Inter Milan in the last-16 stage has ignited aspirations of securing their first Coppa Italia victory in 50 years.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina, last year s runners-up in the Coppa Italia, have their sights set on redeeming themselves this season and clinching the trophy in Rome after their painful loss to Inter in the 2023 final.
Despite also facing defeat in the Europa Conference League final, the Viola remain determined to fulfill their hunger for silverware. Coach Vincenzo Italiano has allocated significant resources to both competitions this term, alongside efforts to improve their league standings.
While their league form has shown signs of improvement, Fiorentina, who last lifted the Coppa Italia in 2001, secured advancement to the Europa Conference League knockout phase. They navigated a challenging Coppa Italia tie against Parma at Stadio Artemio Franchi last month. Despite trailing by two goals with just ten minutes remaining, late strikes from M Bala Nzola and Riccardo Sottil pushed the game to extra time against the Serie B leaders. Parma eventually succumbed to pressure during a penalty shootout.
Fiorentina s recent rise in Serie A, marked by three consecutive victories without conceding a goal, has placed them in contention for a top-four spot. However, their encounter against struggling Sassuolo on Saturday ended with a narrow defeat following Andrea Pinamonti s early goal in Reggio Emilia.
Italiano s focus now shifts to the team s upcoming fixtures before their trip to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana: a league clash against Udinese on Sunday and a midweek cup contest against a team they previously defeated 2-1 in November.
Team News
Fiorentina will continue to miss the services of wingers Nico Gonzalez and Riccardo Sottil on Tuesday due to ongoing thigh injuries. Additionally, long-term absentees Dodo and Gaetano Castrovilli remain unavailable.
With Christian Kouame representing Ivory Coast at the AFCON, another wide option is absent for Fiorentina. Recent reports suggest the club s recruitment team is actively seeking new additions through the transfer market in order to rectify this issue. Meanwhile, center-forward M Bala Nzola declined a call-up from Angola and will compete with Lucas Beltran for a starting position up front.
There s a possibility that goalscoring defender Luca Ranieri and cup goalkeeper Oliver Christensen might be included in the starting lineup for the hosts.
Bologna
In their recent visit to the Stadio Franchi, Bologna experienced a defeat against Fiorentina despite star striker Joshua Zirkzee leveling the score with a penalty after an early setback. Nico Gonzalez secured victory for the hosts by converting a second-half spot-kick, leaving Bologna empty-handed.
In that game, Thiago Motta s team encountered a rare setback in their otherwise impressive run, which had propelled them into the top four of the Italian standings for a while. However, a post-Christmas dip in form has seen the Emilian club slip just behind Fiorentina.
This decline in performance included a surprising 3-0 loss to Udinese, only their second defeat since the start of the season, and a late Lorenzo Di Silvestri equalizer salvaged a draw against Genoa at Stadio Renato Dall Ara on Friday.
Despite their recent stumble, Bologna have displayed dominance in their home games, remaining unbeaten in their last 10 matches at home, winning eight. In the earlier rounds of the cup, they defeated Cesena and Hellas Verona. On the other hand, their performances away from home have been less impressive.
In the Serie A, Bologna have managed just one victory on the road so far. Still, their most notable away success this season was a remarkable comeback in the last-16 stage of the Coppa Italia against holders Inter. Zirkzee s instrumental contributions, setting up both goals in the second half of extra time, stunned San Siro and propelled Bologna into the quarterfinals against Fiorentina, offering a chance to face either Milan or Atalanta BC in the semifinals.
Team News
Bologna will have versatile midfielder Lewis Ferguson available again after serving a Serie A suspension in their last match against Genoa. However, Jesper Karlsson, Adama Soumaoro, and Dan Ndoye who secured the win in the last-16 match, remain sidelined due to injury.
The goalkeeping decision between Lukasz Skorupski and Federico Ravaglia remains uncertain, while Sam Beukema and Alexis Saelemaekers, on loan from Milan, are strong candidates for inclusion in the starting lineup.
Zirkzee, the standout performer for Bologna in the previous round at San Siro, received his fifth booking of the season and will serve a suspension in the upcoming Cagliari match on the weekend. Consequently, the former Bayern Munich player is likely to start in Florence for the Coppa Italia clash against Fiorentina.
Conclusion
At the moment, Fiorentina sorely lack quality options on the attacking flank, whereas Bologna have proven capable of hurting even the best.
Nonetheless, confident after this particular opponent was beaten in the league, and boosted by the support from the stands of the Artemio Franchi, Fiorentina should have enough in their locker to secure a place in the semifinals.
Verdict: Home win
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