Flying high after a superb run through October, Fiorentina aim to start a new month in similar style when they visit mid-table Torino on Sunday.
The Viola posted their fourth straight Serie A win in midweek, while Toro's downturn continued with a fourth loss in five.
Match preview
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Having drawn acclaim for his impressive start as Torino coach earlier this season, Paolo Vanoli is now facing criticism for his team's recent slump down the standings.
After league defeats to Lazio, Inter Milan and Cagliari - plus a Coppa Italia exit at the hands of Empoli - the Granata finally stopped the rot with a 1-0 win over Como last week.
However, they suffered another setback on Thursday evening, being edged out by a Roma side also enduring some tough times, following a performance that Vanoli lambasted for its passivity against "wounded" opponents.
Torino's fall-off in form has coincided with a season-ending injury to captain Duvan Zapata, and goals have been a little harder to come by since the Colombian striker was sidelined.
Nonetheless, they stayed inside the top half of Serie A after 10 rounds of the 2024-25 campaign, just five points behind Sunday's opponents.
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By contrast with their hosts' grim fortunes on Halloween, Fiorentina treated fans to another victory, as they ground out a 1-0 win in Genoa.
David de Gea was named 'Man of the Match' for pulling off a series of saves, and flying full-back Robin Gosens scored the only goal midway through the second half at Marassi, taking the Viola up to fourth place.
That success made it six straight wins across all competitions, while scoring 20 goals in the process - and a tally of 19 points is their best at this stage of a league campaign since 2015.
Within two of second-placed Inter, the Viola have recovered from a slow start to the Serie A season, while winning twice in the Conference League has kept them on track for a third straight appearance in the final.
Raffaele Palladino's switch to a back four has clearly worked wonders, getting the best out of a talented squad, so he will expect to extend Fiorentina's four-game unbeaten run against Torino.
Team News
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After Fiorentina frontman Moise Kean was forced to sit out Thursday's game due to a minor ankle injury, it remains to be seen if Christian Kouame will be required to deputise again in Turin.
Kean's strike partner Albert Gudmundsson is still sidelined, while Danilo Cataldi and Croatian centre-back Marin Pongracic remain doubts for this weekend.
Between trips to Genoa and Cyprus, Raffaele Palladino may make a handful of changes to his starting XI, with Yacine Adli and Pietro Comuzzo heading the queue for promotion from the bench.
Meanwhile, Torino will again be missing Ivan Ilic and long-term absentee Duvan Zapata, while Perr Schuurs has yet to return from an ACL injury. Borna Sosa was back on the bench in midweek, though.
With Zapata unavailable and Nikola Vlasic generally used in a deeper role, Che Adams and Antonio Sanabria are set to continue up front, despite producing just one goal in the last three games between them.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Walukiewicz, Coco, Maripan; Lazaro, Ricci, Linetty, Vlasic, Masina; Adams, Sanabria
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Bove; Colpani, Beltran, Sottil; Kean
We say: Torino 1-1 Fiorentina
Although Torino have begun to falter, they have still lost only one Serie A home game this season, against top-five contenders Lazio.
So, if the hosts can keep in-form Fiorentina at arm's length and avoid defensive mistakes, a precious point could be theirs.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
