There is a whole hell of a lot happening in Viola world this evening. The squad are asleep awaiting tomorrow's crucial match at Cagliari and it looks like the club administration are doing their best to beat the close of the January transfer window to beef up the team.
News
Let's start with what we know has happened. Mutu's situation continues to develop, and the more the facts come in, the more it looks as though we won't be seeing him in purple for quite some time. It seems like the root of the problem is a purportedly "natural" herbal supplement that contained things on the banned substances list. At any rate, Mutu's been a pro for too long to make this type of a mistake, if that is in fact what it was. Either way, it put the team in a tough spot at a crucial turning point in the campaign.
New Blood
Another promising young player has come to Fiorentina. Haris Seferovic is a young Swiss striker, bet known at this point for scoring the decisive goal in the U-17 world cup final. The youtubes are impressive, but then again its also pretty clear that U-17 is not a particularly high level. Still, between Jo-Jo, Ljajic and this guy, the Viola are looking good up front for the future.
Also, it looks possible that Cassano will be joining up on loan until the rest of the season. The story goes that this is a last ditch for him to show he can cut it at a big club (CL football won't be a problem since Samp aren't qualified) in an attempt to make Lippi finally notice him for the national team. I'm not entirely sure this is a good idea, but without Mutu, the team is short attacking options, especially considering the injury issues Jo-Jo has had this year. Cassano is capable of both the sublime and the ridiculous, and lord only knows which one we'll see if he makes it to Fiorentina. Let's save the hypothesizing of what we'll see until we get official word.
Preview Time
Not a lot to say here. We've seen the table, we know that the Viola need three points desperately, especially considering the last two league performances. Cagliari have 17 points from 10 home matches, so they'll be a challenge tomorrow but not as tough as Palermo. The key man is Alessandro Matri, who has 10 league goals this season.
Lineups, aka Blind Guess Dept.
Fiorentina: 4-2-3-1: Bassy; Pasqual, Gamberini, Felipe, LDS; Donadel, CaptainRickyMonty; Vargas, Jo-Jo, Marchionni; Gila Monster.
Cagliari: I can't seem to find a preview with a lineup for these guys.
TeeVee?
Looks like we're out of luck. Game begins at 9:00 am EST, so we'll meet up here to pirate some streams.
Prediction Time
Hopefully Prandelli has the guys focused tomorrow, a whole lot happened this week. I'll say 2-1 to the Viola. Goals by Jo-Jo for the good guys and Matri for Cagliari.
Forza Viola and I'll see you guys back here in the am.