Preview: Fiorentina vs Hellas Verona - prediction, team news, lineups

Still without a victory after 14 rounds of matches, struggling Fiorentina will be looking to stop the rot when fellow strugglers Verona visit the Artemio Franchi on Sunday in a Serie A six-pointer.

As it stands, La Viola’s 23-year campaign in the Italian top flight is slowly drifting towards the end, a situation the home side will be desperate to correct, while the visiting Yellow and Blues will aim to build on their first win of the season.

Match preview

Fiorentina started with some much-needed positivity and bravery against Sassuolo in their last league outing, taking the lead inside the first 10 minutes courtesy of a Rolando Mandragora penalty.

However, that was all they could muster as things began to go downhill for the team from Tuscany at the Mapei Stadium, conceding two goals in the first and another strike in the second period to record their eighth loss of the season.

La Viola fans would have dismissed any suggestion of a miserable start to the league before the 2025-26 Serie A campaign kicked off, considering that they finished sixth last season and have a record of two final appearances in the Conference League over the last three seasons.

Rooted to the foot of the table with only six points, they face the tough challenge of avoiding the drop from this position, as no team has managed that in the history of Serie A at this stage of the campaign.

That said, they did get some respite during the week when they recorded a 2–1 triumph over Dynamo Kyiv in the UEFA Conference League, and that win could serve as the catalyst needed to set their redemption in motion.

If they are to achieve that, they must show improvements in their home form, where they have failed to win since a 3–2 victory over Bologna in May, and at a venue where only two of their six-point haul were earned.

Hellas Verona finally got off the mark with a 3–1 victory over Atalanta BC last weekend to record their first triumph of the 2025–26 season.

Although it took the visitors 14 weeks to finally earn their first three points, it was enough to move them off the bottom of the standings to 19th position, four points and two places away from safety.

Not new to fighting for their top-flight status, they famously avoided relegation in the 2022–23 season when they earned a miserly five points after 13 league fixtures; with nine from 14 outings after their latest win, Paolo Zanetti will be bullish about their chances of steering clear of the dreaded drop zone.

Nevertheless, their form on the road has been a major shortcoming, recording no victory in seven away fixtures, with the other results being three draws and three losses since the start of the season.

Their dismal record of three scored and 12 conceded away from the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi accentuates their struggles away from familiar surroundings, and they must put their best foot forward if they are to avoid back-to-back defeats at the Artemio Franchi, having suffered a 3–1 loss in their last visit to the venue in November 2024.

Fiorentina Serie A form:

Fiorentina form (all competitions):

Hellas Verona Serie A form:

Team News

Mandragora scored Fiorentina’s only goal in the 3–1 loss to Sassuolo to increase his tally for the season to four, but last season’s top scorer, Moise Kean, will need to rediscover his scoring form as they continue the battle to pull away from the relegation zone.

Icelandic forward Albert Gudmundsson could form a striking partnership with the Italian, who is still struggling to find his best form in front of goal.

Marin Pongracic could be recalled into the team, with Pietro Comuzzo, who took his spot last weekend, making way for the Croatian.

Similarly, Fabiano Parisi should get the nod to start at left-back once again in the absence of Robin Gosens, who is still sidelined with a thigh injury.

The visiting side also have a few absentees ahead of this clash away to the Viola on Sunday: Domagoj Bradaric will not be available for selection due to an ankle injury, while Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro (ankle), Suat Serdar (knee) and Tomas Suslov (knee) are all sidelined too.

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Mari, Ranieri, Pongracic; Dodo, Ndour, Nicolussi, Mandragora, Parisi; Kean, Gudmundsson

Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:

Montipo; Bella-Kotchap, Nelsson, Nunez; Frese, Bernede, Gagliardini, Niasse, Belghali; Giovane, Mosquera

We say: Fiorentina 1-1 Hellas Verona

A match involving two teams battling to move as far away from the relegation zone as possible will make for a fierce encounter. Fiorentina remain winless after 14 fixtures, while the visitors will have their tails up in the aftermath of that win against Atalanta last weekend.

That said, their away record leaves so much to be desired, and this could be heading towards a 1–1 draw.

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