Fiorentina vs Monza prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-01-03 17:30.
The World Cup break may have come at an opportune time for Fiorentina, whose five competitive game winning streak came to an end after they lost to Milan in their last Serie A (SA) outing. Spending the break in tenth place, Fiorentina now need swift improvements if they are to finish in the European places for successive seasons with coach and former player Ezio Sella recently stating that it’s their attack which is letting them down.
He may have a point, as Fiorentina have only scored 18 league goals so far this campaign which has reportedly led to them showing interest in Roma’s Andrea Belotti. Perhaps goals are around the corner, as they did win six of their seven December friendly matches during the break (D1), scoring 27 goals in the process, so Viola fans may be hoping that represents a turning point.
Monza may represent an ideal opponent as Fiorentina also beat Cremonese, another newly-promoted team, in their season opener (3-2). The Brianzoli have surprised many by going into the World Cup break nine points above the relegation places however, especially as they started their first ever top-flight season with five consecutive defeats.
The mid-September arrival of a new coach Raffaele Palladino appeared to spark life into Monza, who have since gone on to win six times in ten competitive outings (L4). Despite taking some bumps on their travels recently after losing three successive SA away games, they’ve fared well against teams starting this round tenth or lower (W4, D1, L2) so may prove stern competitors for the Viola here.
Players to watch: Fiorentina’s joint-league top-scorer Giacomo Bonaventura is reportedly set to sign an extension with his club, and five of his last six league goals have arrived on home turf. Also on three SA goals this term is Monza defender Carlos Augusto, who scored and assisted in their 3-0 win over Salernitana last time out.
Hot stat: Fiorentina’s SA matches this term have seen a league-high nine goals scored inside the opening 15 minutes.