Venice vs Florence – News and Probable Lineups

In search of their first points of the season, struggling teams Venezia and Fiorentina will face each other on Friday at Stadio Penzo.

The troubled start for Fiorentina has seen a quick managerial change, while Venezia sits just above in the standings based on goal difference.

Match overview

Following a short stint of only four competitive matches, Fabio Grosso has been dismissed from his role at Fiorentina due to the board’s dissatisfaction.

Grosso, who was appointed this summer, began his tenure with a convincing 4-1 Coppa Italia victory over Benevento, but the situation quickly deteriorated thereafter.

After a challenging last season, the Viola have commenced this one with even greater difficulty, suffering defeats in their opening two league matches while failing to find the back of the net.

A disheartening 4-0 defeat against Roma was followed by a 3-0 loss on home turf to newly promoted Frosinone, with Torino snatching all three points in the most recent outing due to a late collapse.

Consequently, Grosso has been shown the exit door, and Paolo Vanoli has returned to Stadio Franchi after previously helping to ensure safety as an interim head coach last season.

Vanoli is now tasked with stabilizing the squad following significant roster changes, along with maximizing the potential of new arrivals such as Beto, Pedro Goncalves, and Willy Gnonto.

Meanwhile, Venezia’s position near the bottom of Serie A is somewhat anticipated, but their recent 3-2 loss to Frosinone was detrimental to their hopes of survival.

After a spirited comeback in the second half, featuring goals from John Yeboah and Richie Sagrado, they were ultimately undone by a late winner from their opponents at Stadio Stirpe.

Venezia had already suffered losses in their first two league matches and were eliminated from Coppa Italia, so losing to a direct relegation opponent was particularly painful.

Having narrowly finished ahead of Frosinone to clinch the Serie B title in May, Giovanni Stroppa’s men are yet to accrue any points in the top division.

While Venezia is still looking for their first points, they could potentially take advantage of the current turmoil at Fiorentina, ahead of a challenging schedule against Lazio, Atalanta, and Napoli.

Team News

For Venezia, Marin Sverko, Bartol Franjic, and Andrea Adorante are all sidelined due to injuries.

The availability of Toma Basic remains uncertain, while Armel Bella-Kotchap was substituted last week due to a muscle issue.

Stroppa has indicated that new signings Pasquale Mazzocchi and Juan Jesus may not be fully fit, but both are expected to make the bench.

Fiorentina’s only confirmed absence is long-term injured Fabiano Parisi, who missed out again after the club made several signings right up to the transfer deadline; among these debuting last week were Beto, Gnonto, and Alieu Njie.

With Grosso no longer at the helm, it remains uncertain whether Vanoli will implement major changes, though he previously adopted a pragmatic strategy to rescue the Viola last season.

Beto, signed as a replacement for Moise Kean, will compete with Mateo Pellegrino, who scored from outside the area against Torino, for a spot in the attacking lineup at Stadio Penzo.

Venezia probable starting XI:

Stankovic; Schingetienne, Halhal, Moreno; Hainaut, Sohm, Busio, Perez, Haps; Yeboah, Adams

Fiorentina probable starting XI:

De Gea; Mario, Dragusin, Ranieri, Valdepenas; Beans, Ndour; Mastantuono, Atta, Njie; Pilgrim

Even at this early point in the season, the match could be extremely tense given that neither side has secured any points, and the team that loses will find themselves in a difficult position.

Both clubs have struggled defensively, but Fiorentina’s skilled and pricey attacking lineup could grant Vanoli the chance for victory upon his return.