Genoa v Fiorentina – Serie A Betting Preview and Prediction
Round two of the top division of Italian football will offer us an interesting fixture, between Genoa and Fiorentina, set to take place at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday, September 1. Neither of the teams managed to impress the last term, as they both just barely escaped relegation. Nonetheless, with a new season on the way, both will get a shot at redeeming themselves in front of their fans and the world.
New owner, old plans
Fiorentina relived their 2004/05 season last term in a way, by finishing 16th in the league, barely three points clear of relegation. While the Viola were noticeably dropping down the standings in the last couple of years, almost no one imagined seeing Fiorentina in such a terrible spot as they were in 2018/19 season. Changes were needed, and they came at the start of June, when Fiorentina got a new owner in an American businessman Rocco Commisso. After taking over the team, Commisso appeared in front of la Viola’s supporters and revealed his intentions are to being Fiorentina (and Serie A) back to where they belong, clearly indicating his goals are to return Fiorentina to their former glory.
It’s clear that the team and their new owner have got big plans, still, Fiorentina have a long road in proving they can achieve their goals. In the opening match of the season, the Viola lost against Napoli in a thriller of a match, which ended in a total of seven goals (3-4). Fiorentina played admirably well in their opener, yet there was one other thing that caught our eye. Fiorentina fans are more alive than ever and the fact that ticket sales vent up by 20%, even before Ribery was announced as a new Fiorentina player, speaks volumes. Fiorentina has now, what can be easily described as one of the loudest, most enthusiastic and most loyal fans, that, however, is only half the battle, as now it’s the teams’ turn to justify all the enthusiasm.
Genoa continue displaying their firepower
Even before the season started, it was clear that Genoa know how to score goals. In five friendly fixtures leading to the start of the season, Genoa scored 17 goals. Displaying quite an impressive form in the attack, the Rossoblu did not fail to impress in their game one of Copa Italia either when they dismantled Imolese 4:1. As far as their first Serie A fixture is concerned, Genoa impressed against Roma. Coming from behind three times, Aurelio Andreazzoli’s outfit pushed the home side to the last minute to claim the spoils in a 3:3 draw. While walking away with all three points would be the optimal result for Genoa, they do deserve a lot of praise for their 3:3 draw, considering they were missing Pajac, Agudelo, Riccardo, Sturaro and Cassata due to suspensions and injuries. The Rossoblu now return to home soil, hoping to impress their fans by claiming their first win of the season.
Genoa finished last season with a mediocre 6-8-5 home record, meaning, Genoa are not good nor bad when playing in front of their own fans. With a mixed bag of results at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, it’s hard to exactly say how big of an advantage does playing at home provide Genoa with. Nonetheless, there was one reoccurring theme at Stadio Luigi Ferraris and that is goals.
Verdict & Prediction
Both Genoa and Fiorentina played well in their opening fixtures of the season. Fiorentina’s match against Napoli was a disaster from a football fan standpoint with questionable referee decisions and calls. Nonetheless, we did get a chance to see new and reborn Fiorentina, who looks far better compared to last season, especially in the scoring department. Both sides participated in high scoring openers, which should not come off as a surprise, considering both coaches are attack-minded.
Last two h2h fixtures between Genoa and Fiorentina ended without a goal, nonetheless, we are positive that won’t be the case comes this weekend. Both Fiorentina and Genoa strikers have been doing their job perfectly in offseason and in the opening matches of the season as well. Same cannot be said for their defense which fails to protect themselves from conceding goals.
Expect an exciting match with plenty of goals on the menu.
Prediction: Over 2.5 goals
Odds: 1.76 Pinnacle
