Fiorentina vs Juventus: Form Says Juve, Heart Says Chaos
Three defeats in six for Fiorentina, but they beat Juventus last time out — and Sunday's Serie A clash is far from settled
Franco Mastantuono has three goals from three Serie A appearances this season. Three. For a Fiorentina side that has lost three of their last six and conceded 12 in that run, that kind of output from one player is the difference between a campaign that collapses and one that just about holds together. Sunday's matchweek 11 clash with Juventus at home is exactly the fixture where Mastantuono's quality either announces itself on the big stage or gets swallowed by the occasion.
Fiorentina's recent form makes for uncomfortable reading. One win, two draws and three defeats from their last six, with a 2-1 loss at Inter and 12 goals conceded overall in that stretch. They did manage a 2-4 win at Sassuolo and held Atalanta to a 2-2 draw, so the attacking intent is genuine — 10 goals scored in those six matches is not nothing. But here's the thing: they go into this one missing both first-choice centre-backs. M. Pongračić is out with a hamstring injury and L. Ranieri has a foot problem, leaving the backline threadbare. A. Atta is also absent with a stress reaction of the bone, so the midfield has to reorganise too. David de Gea made nine saves across his three appearances, and on Sunday he may need every one of those instincts again.
Juventus arrive with three wins from their last six in Serie A, including a 2-0 defeat of Napoli and a 2-0 win at Lecce, though they were beaten 2-0 by Genoa in between. Seven goals scored and six conceded — compact rather than spectacular. Their own injury list is not short either. K. Yıldız and Francisco Conceição are both out, which strips genuine creativity from their attack, and M. Locatelli, W. McKennie and Z. Çelik are also unavailable. Bremer has chipped in with a goal from defence, Koopmeiners has contributed one too, and Douglas Luiz has been steady in the base of midfield with three key passes across his two appearances. R. Kolo Muani leads the forward line and has been part of two clean sheets, though goals have been elusive from that position so far. The head-to-head record adds a layer of intrigue — the last time these two met, back in May, Fiorentina won 2-0. That result sits in the memory.
This is a classic fantasy football dilemma of a fixture: a home side leaking goals and missing defenders against a Juventus team that is organised but short of its best creative players. Mateo Pellegrino has a goal and five key passes from his three appearances for Fiorentina, and Álex Jiménez has supplied an assist from right-back — there are threats beyond just Mastantuono. But the defensive vulnerability is real, and Juventus, even at half-strength, are disciplined enough to exploit it. Fiorentina have the momentum of the last meeting and a striker in Mastantuono who is currently one of the sharper forwards in Serie A. Juventus have the more stable recent record and a defensive structure that has kept two clean sheets. On balance, Juventus have enough to grind out a win on Sunday — but with Fiorentina's attack in that kind of mood, a clean sheet feels optimistic.
| Juventus v Fiorentina | 0–2 | May 2026 |
