Fiorentina vs Benevento
Italian Serie A.
Date: Sunday, 11 March 2018
Kick-Off: 11:30 UK,
Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi (Florence).
It’s been a rough week for Fiorentina – and all of Italian football, to say the least – but the Viola will arguably be the team who have been the hardest hit following Davide Astori’s tragic death last Sunday. This will be the first game for the Tuscan outfit without their skipper, who passed away at just 31 years of age just hours before they were supposed to play against Udinese last weekend, and as a result, all Serie A games last round were thus cancelled.
Naturally, with all of Astori’s friends and colleagues having attended his funeral this past Thursday, it’s bound to be really tough for them to be able to re-focus and pick themselves up just a few days after saying their final goodbyes, and the fact that this will be their first home game without the Italian defender will be even more difficult for the team and the fans.
That being said, they will be extra motivated to put on a good show for the home support in what will certainly be a very emotional game for all in attendance. Meanwhile, Benevento, who are rooted to the bottom of the table arguably will be feeling the pain of Fiorentina, but still come into this game needing points on the board as their chances of staying afloat are going slimmer by each passing round.
Will they be able to take advantage of Fiorentina’s difficult situation? Benevento come into this game having lost four of their last five and still have yet to win an away game. If there’s any time for them to pick up an away victory, it would be now.
Fiorentina vs Benevento: Head-to-head statistics
- Fiorentina won the reverse fixture 3-0, which is the only meeting between the two sides
- Benevento have conceded at least 2 goals in their last 7 matches
- Benevento have failed to score in 6 of their last 7 away matches
Fiorentina vs Benevento: Prediction
Prior to Astori’s death, Fiorentina had won their last game, and were on a two game unbeaten streak. The Viola had struggled to achieve consistency all season and securing a Europa League spot was rapidly eluding them.
Now without his presence at the back, emotionally and physically, there’s a huge hole to fill in their defense and it’s hard to see how the team will recover from this huge blow.
That being said, Fiorentina will be even more motivated to win following the tragic events of last weekend, and as they won the reverse fixture without much fuss, Pioli should be able to rally the troops to put on a strong display here and get back on track.
Fiorentina vs Benevento: Betting tips
- Fiorentina – WIN at 1.33
- BTTS – YES at 1.90
- Over 2.5 goals at 1.60
