Babacar done for season

In an amazing double swoop of incisive irony, the Sports Gods ensured that the forward Vincenzo Montella had decided to preserve for Thursday's Europa League clash against Dynamo Kyiv had to enter the field of play on Monday night against Verona in an attempt to break the deadlock. Barely 3 minutes after subbing on, Khouma Babacar left the field of play with a knee sprain. Tests today confirmed that the right knee sprain also damaged the collateral medial ligament, and that it will require 6 weeks of rest and rehabilitation to return our beloved "Babacar Named Desire" to full fitness, essentially ruling him out of competitive action until the summer break.

The knock is the latest in a stunningly bad run of misfortune with injuries to Fiorentina strikers that has spanned at least three years, since Stevan Jovetic's fitness was a weekly doubt. Even Babacar struggled with a hamstring injury earlier in the season that sidelined him in December and January. With Giuseppe Rossi still out, Mario Gomez unreliable, and Alberto Gilardino old, and Federico Bernardeschi still working to full match fitness, the Viola striking options are once again thin at a crucial moment of the season.