Preview: Fiorentina vs Polissya Zhytomyr - prediction, team news, lineups

Italian giants Fiorentina will be looking to secure their UEFA Conference League qualification when they host Ukrainian side Polissya Zhytomyr.

The Serie A outfit powered to a 3-0 win in the first leg of this playoff tie, and they will be determined to finish the job in style at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Match preview

Securing a sixth-placed Serie A finish and reaching the Conference League semi-final marked a strong season for Fiorentina last term.

Despite this, the club was forced to deal with a managerial change as Raffaele Palladino departed Florence and was quickly replaced by former Viola boss Stefano Pioli.

Replicating last season’s successes will not be easy, but Pioli has got off to a good start on the continent, leading his men to a dominant 3-0 win over Polissya Zhytomyr in the first leg of this qualifying playoff tie.

With one foot already in the main draw, Fiorentina will be looking to finish the job as they look to uphold their proud European record.

Pioli’s men come into Thursday’s fixture on the back of a 1-1 draw with Cagliari in their Serie A season opener. While that is not necessarily a big confidence booster, Fiorentina are expected to beat their Ukrainian opponents.

Speaking of Polissya Zhytomyr, the recently revived club have made some incredible strides in recent times – not only on the European stage, but also domestically.

Polissya were essentially defunct in 2006 but rose again from the ashes a decade ago. Despite starting from an amateur level, the club have been able to win a series of promotions before reaching lofty European heights.

Their first foray into the Conference League qualifiers ended with a second-round elimination last season; the Ukrainian side have gone two rounds further on this occasion, and while they are unlikely to topple Fiorentina on Thursday, they will be looking to give a good account of themselves.

This, however, will be a lot easier said than done, considering Polissya are currently on a four-match losing run across all competitions.

Fiorentina Conference League form:

Fiorentina form (all competitions):

W D

Polissya Zhytomyr Conference League form:

L W W L L

Polissya Zhytomyr form (all competitions):

W W L L L L

Team News

Fiorentina head into Thursday’s match with a couple of injury worries and one suspension.

Moise Kean will not be available for selection after being sent off just 44 minutes into the opening leg.

Antonin Barak and Cristian Kouame will also be on the sidelines as the pair continue to recover from injuries.

Polissya, on the other hand, are unlikely to make many changes from the first leg, with manager Ruslan Rotan set to stick with his strongest side.

Experienced striker Oleksandr Filippov is expected to lead the attack for the Ukrainians, who could certainly do with an early goal.

Fiorentina possible starting lineup: De Gea; Ranieri, Pongracic, Comuzzo; Gosens, Fagioli, Sohm, Dodo; Gudmundsson, Ndour; Dzeko

Polissya Zhytomyr possible starting lineup: Kudryk; Korniychuk, Sarapiy, Chobotenko, Kravchenko; Andriyevski, Babenko, Lednev; Nazarenko, Filippov, Gutsulyak