Preview: Fiorentina vs Atalanta BC - prediction, team news, lineups

Kicking off the final round of Serie A's 2025-26 campaign, Fiorentina will welcome Atalanta BC to Stadio Franchi on Friday.

Having both achieved their objective - albeit not the one they started with last August - the two clubs only have pride left to play for.

Match preview

One week after confirming top-flight survival, Fiorentina celebrated by beating old foes Juventus last time out, despite going down to 10 men in Turin.

A spectacular strike from ex-Juve midfielder Rolando Mandragora sealed the Viola's unexpected 2-0 success, shortly after Luca Ranieri had been dismissed.

It has been quite a revival since Paolo Vanoli arrived at a club stuck in the drop zone last autumn, as Fiorentina's main aim switched from qualifying for Europe to staying afloat in Serie A.

While they only made certain with two rounds remaining, the Tuscan side have recently lost just one of their last 10 league matches, during which time they would rank sixth in the table.

Furthermore, they have claimed 28 points in the second half of the season - already 15 more than throughout the first - and a record of five clean sheets from their last seven Serie A matches essentially speaks for itself.

Despite all that, Vanoli is still set to depart, so he will be keen to sign off his time in Tuscany on a high - and precedent suggests that he might.

Currently unbeaten in seven home games, Fiorentina have also won their final fixture in each of the last four seasons, including a 3-2 victory over Atalanta in June 2024.

By contrast, the visitors have lost five of their last six final-day games in Serie A, while they have won just twice across their last 24 league visits to Stadio Franchi.

Nonetheless, after their 2-0 victory in November's reverse fixture, Atalanta now intend to do a double over Fiorentina for just the second time this century.

Though the Bergamo club have fallen well short of another top-four finish, they have mirrored the Viola's revival since switching managers earlier this season.

Languishing in lower mid-table when Raffaele Palladino took the reins, La Dea steadily climbed the standings and ultimately qualified for UEFA competition.

Despite last week's 1-0 loss to Bologna, they still secured a spot in next season's Conference League, so only once in the past decade have the Nerazzurri failed to reach Europe.

Like Vanoli, Palladino's long-term future is uncertain, but he now heads back to Florence one year after leading Fiorentina to a commendable sixth place.

Set to finish seventh this term, Atalanta are yet to suffer back-to-back defeats under their current coach, who will be keen to prove a point on his return to the Franchi.

Fiorentina Serie A form:

W D D L D W

Fiorentina form (all competitions):

W D D L D W

Atalanta BC Serie A form:

L D L D W L

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

D L L D W L

Team News

Fiorentina's top scorer Moise Kean has been sidelined by a shin problem since early April, and he may miss a ninth straight league match this weekend.

Kean's deputy Roberto Piccoli is therefore set to start in the final third, where winger Fabiano Parisi will be absent after suffering a knee injury last time out.

As Ranieri must serve a suspension following his red card against Juve, either Daniele Rugani or Pietro Comuzzo should replace him at centre-back.

While Piccoli has failed to impress since arriving last summer, Mandragora has now scored seven league goals from midfield, leaving him just three shy of Atalanta's main marksmen.

Both Gianluca Scamacca and Nikola Krstovic have scored 10 times so far, and the latter has notably netted eight of those goals on the road.

A thigh injury recently brought Odilon Kossounou's campaign to a premature end, and Lorenzo Bernasconi is also set to miss out, but Sweden defender Isak Hien can return after serving a one-match ban.

Mitchel Bakker was back on the bench against Bologna, so Palladino still has plenty of options to choose from - with little left to play for, La Dea's head coach may make some changes.

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Pongracic, Gosens; Ndour, Fagioli, Mandragora; Harrison, Piccoli, Solomon

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Hien, Kolasinac; Zappacosta, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Raspadori; Krstovic