Bologna vs Fiorentina: Preview

After a stunning conclusion to the Carpi fixture, Fiorentina will look to carry some momentum into the Tuscan derby with Bologna. La Viola won the first leg at the Artemio Franchi 2 to 0, with late goals from Jakub Błaszczykowski and Nikola Kalinić. In their last ten meetings, Fiorentina are W5 D2 L3, scoring 15 and conceding 8, although they've won the last three by a combined 8-0. The referee for this one is Luca Banti, who's been tough on Fiorentina lately; of the last 10 matches he's called, Fiorentina are W3 D3 L4. This season, he's presided over the 2-1 loss at Napoli and the 2-2 draw against Empoli.

Bologna

Roberto Donadoni has done a pretty dang good job with Bologna since taking over for Delio Rossi, leading them to 10th place in Serie A thus far. They've scored 27 goals (as many as 4th place Inter Milan!) and conceded 30. They've also only drawn 2 matches throughout the entire season. After a difficult start, they've turned things around, going W5 D1 L4, scoring 14 and conceding 13, beating Napoli and holding Lazio to a draw in that span. Donadoni favors a 4-3-3 with width in attack and energy in the middle. Expect his charges to sit deep and look to break quickly through the wide areas.

Donadoni gets to choose from his entire squad for this one, with no injuries or suspensions. The danger man is Mattia Destro, who nearly moved to Florence last year; he leads the club with 7 goals and 2 assists. Winger Anthony Mounier is second on the team with 4 goals and an assist. New addition Juan Zúñiga will probably start at rightback.

Fiorentina

Paulo Sousa will be breathing a sigh of relief after a close shave against Carpi. He'll welcome a spate of new signings, although Milan Badelj (thigh) is expected to miss another month, and Marcos Alonso (ankle) is still out for an undisclosed length of time. Borja Valero is a booking away from a suspension, too.

Sousa will probably continue with his 3-4-2-1, although the sudden glut of talented wide players means that 3-4-3 (a system Sousa used frequently last year in Switzerland) is also a possibility. Following a blistering goal, Mauro Zárate may get a start; equally likely, though, is Sousa keeping Borja Valero in his attacking role and sliding Tino Costa into the midfield with Matías Vecino. Khouma Babacar could start over a sputtering Kalinić up top.

Projected lineups

Bologna (4-3-3): Mirante; Zúñiga, Oikonomou, Rossettini, Masina; Taider, Diawara, Rizzo; Giaccherini, Destro, Mounier

Fiorentina (3-4-2-1): Tătăruşanu; Roncaglia, Gonzalo, Astori; Tello, Vecino, Costa, Bernardeschi; Iličić, Valero; Babacar

How to watch

TV: Looks like this one is on RAI, BeIn, and (in Italy) Sky, so plan accordingly.

Online: Other live viewing options can be found here, and as always, you can also follow along with us live on Twitter. If you haven't already, join the community on Viola Nation, and join in the discussion below.

Shameless scoreline prediction

A 1-2 Fiorentina win behind a Gonzalo header and an Iličić blast, with Destro scoring a late consolation.

Well, that's it for your preview. Not much else to say, except for forza Viola.