We’re just six days away from Fiorentina’s first competitive match of the season next Friday against Cosenza. My apologies to SV Ostermunchen and Virtus Verona, but it’s time for a proper preseason matchup to test the squad. Newly promoted La Liga side Espanyol have traveled to the Franchi to take on the Viola today, and a 7pm CEST kickoff is ahead.

The match has been dubbed the “Unbeatables Cup,” in honor of Davide Astori and Dani Jarque. Jarque was Espanyol’s captain who passed away in Florence in 2009 from a heart attack at 26.

There’s no Nikola Milenkovic or Pol Lirola in the starting XI today, which could be a hint towards an outgoing transfer for both. We’ll finally be able to see Lucas Martinez Quarta and Igor together in a 4-back formation. In the midfield, 18-year-old Alessandro Bianco gets the start again. While it’s nice to see Vincenzo Italiano give young players a chance, this shows just how desperately Fiorentina needs a regista. We’ll see if Nico Gonzalez gets his debut, as he’s on the bench.

Lineups

Fiorentina (4-3-3): Dragowski; Venuti, Martinez Quarta, Igor, Biraghi; Bianco, Duncan, Bonaventura; Callejón, Vlahovic, Saponara

Espanyol: Diego Lopez; Victor Gomez, S. Gomez, Cabrera; Pedrosa, David Lopez, Darder, Embarba, Melendo, Wu Lei, de Tomas

How to watch

It’s a TimVision exclusive, so you’ll have to make an account there, potentially with a VPN.

Forza Viola!