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| PROBABLE LINE-UPS |
FIORENTINA  Boruc Romulo, Gamberini, Nastasic, Pasqual Behrami, Montolivo, Munari Lazzari Gilardino, Jovetic | AC MILAN  Abbiati Abate, Nesta, Thiago Silva, Antonini Aquilani, Van Bommel, Nocerino Seedorf Robinho, Ibrahimovic |
Fiorentina look set to make two changes from the side that lost 1-0 to Chievo a fortnight ago, which cost Sinisa Mihajlovic his job and allowed Delio Rossi to come into the hot seat.
Defender Matija Nastasic should replace the suspended Cesare Natali at centre-back, while Mattia Cassani's extended spell on the sidelines means Romulo will slot into right-back. The reshuffling of the pack thus paves the way for Gianni Munari to be given a rare start in midfield, but there is no such luck for Per Kroldrup, who is approximately around a month away from a return to full fitness. Stevan Jovetic picked up a muscle strain on international duty with Montenegro, but the club are hopeful he will be fit in time to take his place in the starting XI.
Meanwhile, Massimiliano Allegri is expected to make alterations of his own, headlining with Alessandro Nesta, who should reclaim his place alongside Thiago Silva in the heart of AC Milan's defence.
Furthermore, Antonio Nocerino is back from his ban and should replace Urby Emanuelson, while Massimo Ambrosini is set to be axed for Mark van Bommel as the midfield anchor. However, Antonio Cassano, Gennaro Gattuso and Mathieu Flamini remain out for the foreseeable future, but Philippe Mexes is nearing a comeback from a wrist injury, as Kevin-Prince Boateng sees out the last match of his suspension.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
- Fiorentina have lost 67 times to AC Milan, more than against any other Serie A opponent.
- The Viola have scored just two goals in the last seven games played
against the Rossoneri in the league.
- Against Fiorentina, Alexandre Pato has already scored five goals, one in each of his five appearances; only against Udinese has he scored more in Italy, with six.
- AC Milan are currently on a run of five consecutive wins; the last time they managed six in a row was during the 2005/06 season.
- The champions have scored two or more goals in each of their last five games, the first time this has happened since 1930-31; only Juventus and Torino have managed to score more than two goals per game in six consecutive Serie A matches.
- Milan have the most prolific attack in the league with 23 goals to their name, at least seven more than any other side.
- Since then, Milan have notched up eight victories and three draws against Fiorentina, winning their last seven.
Prediction
The arrival of the former Palermo man should give Fiorentina a timely boost, as the appointment of a new coach always brings new energy and ideas to the table. However, with a Milan side currently at the peak of their powers, combined with a number of key performers coming back into the fold, they should be able to eventually overcome the hosts and make it a super six.
Editor's Prediction
Fiorentina 1-2 AC Milan 
