Fiorentina have a great opportunity to reach the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia when they host Sampdoria on Thursday.
The Viola have lifted the Copa Italia on six occasions, most recently in 2001, and they made it through to the semi-finals in 2021-22.
They head into Thursday’s clash at the Stadio Artemio Franchi unbeaten since returning from the World Cup break, winning one and drawing one, while they’ve only lost two of their 13 home games across all competitions this season.
Four-time winners Sampdoria last went all the way in 1994 and they haven’t advanced beyond the last-16 stage since reaching the quarter-finals in 2010-11.
Samp sit 19th in Serie A and have a relegation battle on their hands, having only won two league games all term, therefore, this competition isn’t high on the list of priorities for head coach Dejan Stankovic, who replaced Marco Giampaolo in October.
Fiorentina vs Sampdoria Betting Tips
Team news
Forward Nicolas Gonzalez returned from long-term injury from the bench in the second half of Fiorentina’s win over Sassuolo and he’s pushing for a start.
Sofyan Amrabat is also in line to make his first start after being eased back into the fold following his heroics with Morocco at the World Cup.
Luka Jovic, Rolando Mandragora and Riccardo Sottil are all still nursing injuries and won’t be available until the end of this month at the earliest.
Sampdoria boss Stankovic is expected to make wholesale changes as he focuses on trying to ensure they are as close to full strength when they return to Serie A action on Monday.
Fabio Quagliarella, Ignacio Pussetto and Manuel De Luca are all sidelined with knee injuries, while Omar Colley and Andrea Conti are doubts due to illness.
Midfielder Tomas Rincon was sent off in the 2-0 loss at home to Napoli on Sunday but his suspension is only applicable in Serie A.
Fiorentina to win and both teams to score @ 5/2 – #PickYourPunt
The form book suggests this should go the way of the home side with Fiorentina chasing a top-six spot in Serie A, thanks largely to their performances at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Fiorentina’s only defeats at home across all competitions have come against Lazio and Inter Milan.
In contrast, Sampdoria have only picked up four wins from 19 fixtures in all competitions this campaign, with two of those coming against lower-league opposition in the Coppa Italia.
Despite their struggles to win matches, Sampdoria do still know the way to goal and they’ve scored in five of their eight outings on the road, suggesting they should be able to register in this clash.
Arthur to score anytime @ 6/4
Jovic, who joined Fiorentina over the summer, is the club’s leading scorer this campaign with seven goals across all competitions, however, he is unavailable for this clash.
Arthur ranks joint-second on the list for goals scored, registering five times, and the Brazilian could be a deciding factor on Thursday.
The 24-year-old’s most recent strike came in the 1-1 draw with Monza on January 4th, while three of his five efforts have come on home soil.
