Fiorentina travel to Rome in post-mercato Coppa Italia showdown

And not only does Fiorentina have a real live match tomorrow, it's a rather important one. Club captain Manuel Pasqual was one of the players rested for this fixture away at Genoa on Sunday, and he spoke in the press conference today. "We want to pass this round, we want to try to win this trophy; we will arrive determined" said the left back to the press, and it is clear that Vincenzo Montella is not taking this one lightly.

As we documented ahead of the impressive 1-1 home draw versus this same Roma side, Montella has never beaten his former club, and in a possible effort to reverse his fortunes, rested Mario Gomez and Pasqual away to Genoa, and will be additionally boosted by the freshness of Stefan Savic and David Pizarro, both suspended in the weekend's Serie A game. Alessandro Diamanti is expected to pair Mario Gomez in attack.

Roma have sustained a couple injury blows and will still be without Gervinho, whose Ivory Coast advanced at the African Cup of Nations. Roma can, however, count themselves lucky that Miralem Pjanic is eligible to play after throwing a punch in their draw against visiting Empoli. Rudi Garcia is expected to name a strong side after 4 consecutive draws.

A win at the Olimpico could be a huge statement for Fiorentina, who are looking to continue being competitive in all competitions, but it will be a big ask. A repeat of last weeks performance could launch la Viola into a huge two-legged semifinal against Juventus, one that will hopefully also include the returning Giuseppe Rossi. FORZA VIOLA everyone, let's hope for a massive, confidence boosting result.

Projected Lineups

Roma (4-3-3): De Sanctis; Maicon, Astori, Yanga Mbiwa, Holebas; Pjanic, Keita, Nainggolan; Florenzi, Totti, Ljajic

FIORENTINA (3-5-1-1) TATARUSANU; SAVIC, GONZALO, BASANTA; JOAQUIN, MATI, PIZARRO, BORJA VALERO, PASQUAL; DIAMANTI; GOMEZ