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

One step away from the league phase, Ukrainian club Polissya Zhytomyr are set to face Serie A side Fiorentina at Futbal Tatran Arena on Thursday for the first leg of their Conference League playoff.

The nominal hosts will be hoping to end their losing streak, while I Viola are looking for their first win in four matches. 

---

Match preview

Ruslan Rotan's Polissya are playing their second-ever campaign in European competition, and should they win this tie, then they will have qualified for the league phase for the first time in their history.

The 'home' side started in the second qualifying round after finishing fourth in the 2024-25 edition of the Ukrainian Premier League, beating Andorra's FC Santa Coloma and Hungary's Paksi to reach the playoff.

However, Rotan's men returned to domestic action on Sunday, and they conceded in both halves during a 2-0 loss at the hands of LNZ Cherkasy.

That disappointing result marked Polissya's the third consecutive defeat ahead of this week's crucial showdown, after they lost 2-1 in the second leg of their third round tie against Paksi last week and 2-0 against Kolos Kovalivka earlier this month, and fans would be forgiven for doubting their chances as a consequence.

To make matters worse, Rotan's side have triumphed in just two of their last 13 matches as the nominal home team, and following a stretch of four defeats from their five most recent clashes at either Central Stadium or Futbal Tatran Arena, they will need to defy their form if they are to have any realistic hope of progressing.

Meanwhile, Stefano Pioli's Fiorentina were knocked out of the Conference League at the semi-final stage by Real Betis in 2024-25, and they will be dreaming of going all the way this time around.

I Viola did not have to play through the other preliminary rounds to reach this point after finishing sixth in Serie A last term, and Thursday's clash will be their first competitive game of the season.

In preparation, Pioli's men participated in five pre-season friendlies, but while they started well by beating Grosseto 3-0 and Carrarese 2-0 back in July, they have failed to win any of their last three games, losing to Leicester City and Manchester United either side of a goalless stalemate against Nottingham Forest.

Travelling to Slovakia to take on Polissya this week, the visitors know that avoiding defeat at the very least could be crucial in the first leg, but with a dire record of five losses, one draw and two wins from their eight most recent away matches, they would do well to bring an even scoreline back to Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Fiorentina are undoubtedly the favourites in this tie, but if they were to be eliminated, then it would represent the first time since 2021-22 that they have not reached the group stage or league phase of a continental competition.

Polissya Zhytomyr Conference League form:

Polissya Zhytomyr form (all competitions):

Fiorentina friendly form:

---

Team News

Polissya will welcome left-back Bogdan Mykhaylichenko back into the XI after he served a suspension against Paks last time out in the Conference League.

Desperate to keep their opponents at bay, the Ukrainian side should start Eduard Sarapiy and Danylo Beskorovainyi, who scored in the third round's first leg, at centre-back.

The defence is likely to be protected by Ruslan Babenko at the base of midfield, and he should be joined by Bogdan Lednev and Oleksandr Andrievsky in the centre of the park.

As for Fiorentina, they will be without striker Christian Kouame once again as he works his way back from a cruciate ligament injury that has kept him sidelined since April.

In his absence, veteran hitman Edin Dzeko should start up top, joined by former Juventus and Everton centre-forward Moise Kean in a partnership.

At the opposite end of the pitch, highly-rated 20-year-old centre-half Pietro Comuzzo was taken off with an injury against Man United on August 9, but he could start alongside Marin Pongracic and Luca Ranieri in a back three on Thursday.

Polissya possible starting lineup:

Volynets; Kravchenko, Sarapiy, Beskorovainyi, Mykhaylichenko; Andrievsky, Babenko, Lednev; Hutsuliak, Filippov, Nazarenko

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:

De Gea; Comuzzo, Pongracic, Ranieri; Dodo, Sohm, Fagioli, Gudmundsson, Gosens; Dzeko, Kean

---

We say: Polissya 1-2 Fiorentina

Polissya have done well to reach the playoff, but Fiorentina will be the strongest team they have come up against in the Conference League this term by some distance.

Neither side are in the best form ahead of this week's first leg, and both are on three-game winless runs, but I Viola may prove too much for the Ukrainian club to handle on Thursday.