Fiorentina and AC Milan will both start their Serie A campaigns on Sunday with new managers taking their places on the bench.
Sinisa Mihajlovic has been brought in by the Rossoneri to help restore the club to their past glories, while Paulo Sousa will be hoping to build upon the good work of his predecessor Vincenzo Montella in Florence.
Fiorentina
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While a new manager seemed inevitable for AC Milan this summer after their struggles under Filippo Inzaghi, the same cannot be said of Fioretina.
The Viola secured an impressive fourth-place finish in Serie A for the third season running under the guidance of former Italy international Montella.
However, less than two weeks after beating Chievo in their final match of the campaign, Montella was sacked by the club and accused of showing them a lack of respect.
They reacted quickly by bringing in former Swansea City manager Sousa from Swiss champions Basel, and the Portuguese coach has made some important changes to the squad.
He has brought in Davide Astori to replace Stefan Savic in the defence, while Mario Suarez has arrived for big money and forward Nikola Kalinic has also been signed, with Mario Gomez being shipped out on loan to Besiktas.
The club's form in pre-season also bodes well, as a 2-1 victory over Barcelona and a 1-0 win over Chelsea in recent weeks should provide a major boost in confidence.
Recent form: LWWWWW
AC Milan
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It was a truly miserable season for AC Milan last term, as they finished a dismal 10th in the Serie A table and missed out on a place in Europe for the second season in a row.
Their final position in the league represented their worst finish for 17 years and ended up costing manager Inzaghi his job after just one season in charge.
Although their struggles were evident on the pitch, there were also a number of problems behind the scenes throughout the campaign, with ongoing talks of a takeover constantly dominating the headlines.
With a deal agreed to sell 48% of the club to Bee Taechaubol, the club are now able to focus solely on the season ahead, and Mihajlovic has been given the tough job of trying to restore their fortunes.
The Serbian has joined the Rossoneri from Sampdoria, after two successful seasons with the Genoan club, who he helped to qualify for the Europe League last term.
It is not just in the managerial department where the club have made changes, as they have invested millions into strengthening their playing squad. Carlos Bacca and Luiz Adriano are their most high-profile arrivals, and the forward duo will be expected to improve an attack that relied heavily on the goals of Jeremy Menez last season.
Alessio Romagnoli and Andrea Bertolacci have also joined for a combined fee of €46m (£33m) from Roma, while they have also allowed a number of players including Michael Essien, Sulley Muntari and Adil Rami to leave.
Recent form: LWLLLW
Team News
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Facundo Roncaglia is suspended for Fiorentina, so Astori should take his place in the centre of the defence.
Kalinic will be expected to start up front, with Giuseppe Rossi back on the bench after recovering from his most recent knee ligament injury.
Meanwhile, Milan are without last season's top scorer Menez, who has been struggling with a back problem.
His absence means that Bacca and Adriano should lead the attack, with Keisuke Honda playing just behind the two strikers.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Tatarusanu, Tomovic, Rodriguez, Astori, Pasqual, Valero, Suarez, Bernardeschi, Fernandez, Ilicic, Babacar
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Lopez, Abate, Mexes, Romagnoli, Antonelli, Bonaventura, De Jong, Bertolacci, Honda, Bacca, Adriano
Head To Head
Milan have a poor record in the most recent clashes between the teams, and they have won just one of their last seven games.
Four of those have been won by Fiorentina, and they came from behind to clinch a 2-1 victory in the last meeting back in March.
We say: Fiorentina 1-1 AC Milan
With a number of changes made by each team over the summer, there will be plenty of players looking to impress their new managers. Milan look to have added more strength and power to their attack, and Bacca and Adriano should cause a number of problems for the opposition defence. However, it will take their side time to gel, and with Fiorentina in good form, we expect this match to finish in a draw.
Alex Meyers
