Fiorentina vs AC Milan prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-03-03 19:45.
An impressive 63-yard free-kick from Cristiano Biraghi helped Fiorentina end their near two month wait for Serie A (SA) win as they beat Hellas Verona 3-0 last time out to secure their first league victory since January 7th. That result not only consolidated their mid-table position with an 11-point gap to relegation zone, but it also ensured they scored 3+ goals in SA for just the third time this season.
With their road to European football next season likely going to need a UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL) triumph, Fiorentina will want to continue their uptick in recent form across competitions when defending champions AC Milan come to town. However, with only one win across their last five home SA matches (D2, L2) and ten defeats in 13 SA matches against teams that start this round in top-half (D3), their chances of a confidence boosting win before Thursday’s UECL clash with Sivasspor appear slim.
A 2-0 victory against Atalanta last Sunday in Stefano Pioli’s 800th managerial game secured a first run of three league victories ‘to-nil‘ after nearly a year and ensured Milan are now hot on the tails of second-placed Inter. That match also saw the return of Zlatan Ibrahimović, who after playing his first minutes since last May, claimed he could “continue to play a few more years, not just next year”.
Milan could use his help here as their 1-0 win at Monza in their last away league match was only their second away league win in 2023 (D1, L2) and they bear the psychological scars of a 4-3 defeat here last term. Positively though, Milan remain unbeaten this term in away games against teams that started this round in bottom half (W5, D3) and they know extending that run with a win here would see them provisionally move into second before Inter’s game on Sunday.
Players to watch: Fiorentina‘s Arthur Cabral has scored five goals in his last four competitive matches and could now score in five in a row for the first time since his run of eight in 2021 for Basel! In the absence of the suspended Rafael Leão, Milan may look to Junior Messias to step up, with his last four club goals serving as the game’s last.
Hot stat: Milan have won 12 of their 13 SA matches after opening the scoring (D1).