Preview: Genoa vs Fiorentina - prediction, team news, lineups

With one league win between them this season, Serie A strugglers Genoa and Fiorentina will vie for victory when they meet at Marassi on Saturday afternoon.

While the Viola have responded well to a swift change of management, their ailing hosts only have a single point on the board.

Match preview

For just the third time in their history, Genoa have picked up just one point after five rounds of a Serie A campaign, leaving them languishing inside the drop zone.

In fact, the Grifone have gone 10 top-flight games without a victory since April - their worst such run for five years - piling pressure on head coach Daniele De Rossi.

Having signed off for the international break with a 2-1 defeat in Parma, they only sit above newly promoted Venezia in the table.

While several players were away on national duty, De Rossi's side also lost to Rapid Bucharest in a friendly last Friday, failing to keep the back door closed once again.

All 10 goals conceded in Serie A have come from open play, while Genoa's lone clean sheet was in a Coppa Italia tie against second-tier Sudtirol.

So, as their last league win over Fiorentina dates back more than seven years, fans of the Rossoblu have very few reasons for optimism.

During that time, the Viola have gone 11 league games without losing to Genoa, so precedent suggests they can extend their recent rise.

Having made a disastrous start to the season under Fabio Grosso - who was shown the door after just four matches - Paolo Vanoli's return immediately brought back-to-back wins and seven goals.

Vanoli steered Fiorentina to safety as interim manager last term, and his second reign began with a 4-2 league win at Venezia; then, they knocked Tuscan rivals Pisa out of the Coppa Italia.

Just before the break, they held Napoli to a 1-1 draw at Stadio Franchi, which continued a strong start for Vanoli but left his team 17th in the Serie A standings.

There is more work to do, as only rock-bottom Venezia have conceded more goals; a tally of 12 ties Fiorentina's worst record at this stage of any season since 1992-93.

Genoa Serie A form:

Genoa form (all competitions):

Fiorentina Serie A form:

Fiorentina form (all competitions):

Team News

The international break has helped Genoa recover some players, with Junior Messias, Alex Amorim and Tommaso Baldanzi all resuming full training; captain Johan Vasquez is also back from a ban.

However, Lorenzo Colombo, Elias Havel and Ethan Meichtry - the latter of whom suffered a hip injury while away with Switzerland Under-21s - are all sidelined.

In the absence of Colombo, who hurt his ankle in the friendly against Rapid Bucharest, Milutin Osmajic should lead the Rossoblu's front line.

Meanwhile, Mateo Pellegrino will hope to hold off Beto's challenge for selection in Fiorentina's attack, having scored in three of his last four appearances.

Pellegrino's compatriot Franco Mastantuono sits joint-second for shots taken in Serie A this season - with eight of those 22 attempts on target - and is likely to start on the right.

Pedro Goncalves, Willy Gnonto and Alieu Njie are all vying for the other wide role; after both impressed at different age levels for Italy, Nicolo Fagioli and Cher Ndour should join forces in midfield.

Only long-term absentee Fabiano Parisi is unavailable, so Vanoli has plenty of options to choose from.

Genoa possible starting lineup:

Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ehizibue, Frendrup, Sow, Ellertsson; Baldanzi; Vitinha, Osmajic

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Jimenez, Dragusin, Ranieri, Viery; Ndour, Fagioli, Atta; Mastantuono, Pellegrino, Njie