Fiorentina vs Reggina

Fiorentina are back home to host Reggina in a battle between two clubs that are coming off of losses in week 31 of Serie A. Fiorentina dropped 3 points on the road to Udinese and are now involved in a real fight for 4^th place, while Reggina lost away to Genoa and now are in a lot of trouble at the bottom of the league table.

The viola enter week 32 in 4^th place with 53 points for the present campaign. They are 5 points behind 3^rd place Juventus and 3 points ahead of 5^th place Udinese. It was their 3-1 loss away to Udinese last week at the Stadio Friuli which saw their lead shrink from 6 to points in the coveted 4^th slot of the league table which grants access to the Champions League. Manager Cesare Prandelli has now seen his squad lose 3 straight road matches after having been one of the best road sides in Italy during the early portion of the year. There are 2 players ruled out this week in Semioli and Ujfalusi. Sensing that his squad can expose Reggina’s defensive failings, Prandelli looks ready to go with a 4-3-3 featuring Adrian Mutu, Pazzini and Papa Waigo in attack.

This match away to Fiorentina will be the second straight on the road for the relegation threatened Reggina. Last week they fell away to Genoa by a score of 2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. With the loss Reggina are now 19^th in Serie A with 27 points and sit 2 points back of 18^th place Cagliari and the other 3 clubs tied at 29 points. If the season ended today they would make the drop to Serie B. Manager Orlandi’s squad are now winless over their last 3 games and have won just 5 points from the last 15 played for. There is only one injury concern reported for this game and it involves Montiel who has been ruled out. Brienza has been cleared to play and will start just behind lone striker Amoruso in a 4-4-1-1 formation.

It is hard to find a way for Reggina to get the job done this week. While Fiorentina have had their problems on the road this season, they have been steady at home for the most part having produced 9 wins and 3 draws in 15 games. Meanwhile, Reggina have yet to win a single match away from home and Fiorentina need this match just as much as the visitors do. Look for the purple side to hold serve at home.

Prediction: Fiorentina (2-0)