After an underwhelming trip to England brought no wins from three pre-season friendlies, Fiorentina continue warming up for the new Serie A season on Sunday, when they welcome Montpellier HSC to Stadio Franchi.
Having lost successive Europa Conference League finals under former boss Vincenzo Italiano, the Viola are under new management for 2024-25; meanwhile, Montpellier are busily preparing for a fresh Ligue 1 campaign.
Match preview
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Fiorentina endured more heartbreak in May's Europa Conference League final, losing 1-0 to Olympiacos after extra time, 12 months after being beaten by West Ham United in the 2023 decider and coming up just short in the Coppa Italia.
Highlighting the flaws that consigned the Viola to eighth place in Serie A last season, they were unable to break down their dogged opponents in Vincenzo Italiano's final match of a three-year reign that promised much but ultimately delivered no silverware.
Owing to their compatriots' results in UEFA competition last term, the Tuscan club secured a return to the Conference League, where they will try to make it third time lucky this season - finishing eighth proved enough to qualify thanks to Atalanta BC's Europa League victory.
Former Monza boss Raffaele Palladino has since stepped into the dugout at Stadio Franchi - with Italiano switching to Champions League-bound Bologna - and is now overseeing preparations for the upcoming campaign.
Following an opening 4-0 friendly win over Reggiana, Fiorentina recently embarked on a brief tour of northern England, drawing with Bolton Wanderers and Hull City either side of a 2-1 defeat to Preston North End.
Tuesday's encounter with Hull saw goals in each half from Dodo and new signing Moise Kean put the Viola two goals in front, before they let that lead slip and it finished 2-2; now, only games against Montpellier and Grosseto await before their Serie A season kicks off at promoted Parma.
![Pre-Season friendly match Khalil Fayad of Montpellier SHC during the Pre-Season friendly match between Girona FC and Montpellier HSC played at Ronald Verd training centre on July 20, 2024 [on July 25, 2024]](https://sm.imgix.net/24/30/khalil-fayad.jpg?w=640&h=480&auto=compress,format&fit=clip "Pre-Season friendly match Khalil Fayad of Montpellier SHC during the Pre-Season friendly match between Girona FC and Montpellier HSC played at Ronald Verd training centre on July 20, 2024 [on July 25, 2024]")
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For the second straight season, Montpellier finished 12th in Ligue 1 last term, having previously ended up in 13th at the conclusion of their 2021-22 campaign.
After losing just one of their last eight games, the mid-table outfit were a dozen points clear of the drop zone - and just as many shy of the top six - so they will aim to build on those solid foundations in the months ahead.
La Paillade are set to begin 2024-25 against Strasbourg on August 17, but they first must wrap up their friendly programme with a trip to Florence followed by games against Cannes and Mainz 05.
So far this summer, Montpellier have failed to beat Girona, Southampton or domestic rivals Saint-Etienne, with the latter inflicting a 2-1 defeat on Michel Der Zakarian's men in midweek.
Now looking to claim a morale-boosting win at the fourth time of asking, they will seek to resolve defensive deficiencies that have seen some eight goals conceded in their first trio of warm-up matches.
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In addition to former Juventus striker Moise Kean and ex-Monza midfielder Andrea Colpani, Fiorentina have signed Lecce's Croatia defender Marin Pongracic this summer, as a replacement for Nottingham Forest-bound Nikola Milenkovic.
All three should feature on Sunday evening, although Kean must see off competition from M'Bala Nzola to start up front: Lucas Beltran is with Argentina at the Olympics, while Andrea Belotti was among several men to have followed Milenkovic through the exit door.
The departures of Giacomo Bonaventura, Gaetano Castrovilli, Alfred Duncan, Maxime Lopez and Arthur leave a large hole in midfield, with the Viola's recruitment team left working hard to bring fresh faces in. For now, though, Rolando Mandragora, Antonin Barak and Italy Under-21 international Alessandro Bianco should fill the void.
Meanwhile, Montpellier's transfer window activity has been more limited, with Maxime Esteve joining Burnley on a permanent deal, while loan duo Silvan Hefti and Yann Karamoh have both returned to Italy.
After scoring from the spot last time out, Wahbi Khazri has now netted four of his team's goals in pre-season, and the Tunisian should play a pivotal role for the visitors at Stadio Franchi; however, Joris Chotard is still on France duty at Paris 2024.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Comuzzo, Pongracic, Ranieri; Dodo, Barak, Mandragora, Biraghi; Brekalo, Colpani; Kean
Montpellier HSC possible starting lineup:
Lecomte; Sacko, Omeragic, Sagnan, Sainte-Luce; Bares, Ferri; Savanier, Khazri, Nordin; Adams
We say: Fiorentina 2-1 Montpellier HSC
Causing concern in both camps, neither side has flourished in pre-season thus far, but Fiorentina are back on Tuscan soil and can take full advantage of Montpellier's dubious defence.
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Jonathan O'Shea
