I can’t believe I’m typing this but Fiorentina is playing a real game again, all your scars from last year be damned. Despite what feels like a very short preseason, the Coppa Italia waits for no one. The opponent is Serie B’s Benevento, which overcame an early 2-goal deficit to beat Ravenna 5-3 yesterday. The Stregoni were relegated from the top flight in 2021 and dropped all the way to Serie C in 2023 but have bounced back with some familiar faces in the XI, including ex-Viola prospects Cristiano
Dalle Mura and Eduardo Pierozzi.
The match will be played on Friday, 14 August 2026, at 20:15 GMT/3:15 PM EST at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in beautiful Firenze. Expect a scorching hot day with temperatures potentially reaching 38°C/100°F and nary a cloud in the beautiful Tuscan sky. I’m curious to see how may fans show up. I doubt it will sell out but between the excitement about Fiorentina’s centenary season and curiosity about this new-look team, I expect a pretty good turnout.
Three things to watch for
1. Who’s in Grosso’s first XI
Extrapolating preseason silliness to the deadly seriousness of real games is often futile but Fabio Grosso has a good idea of his strongest lineup. The back 5 is settled but the midfield and attack is tough to predict, especially after the arrival of Franco Mastantuono, who missed all the friendlies. If the mister’s ready to throw him into the mix, my guess is he takes over on the right wing, where his tendency to drift infield should work well with João Mário’s tendency to bomb forward.
That puts the rest of the side in question, though. Cher Ndour and Arthur Atta have looked good as wide midfielders in a fluid 4-4-2ish shape. I’m curious to see how Grosso will balance Mastantuono. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s Albert Guðmundsson on the left with Atta as the most attacking of a midfield three rounded out by Nicolò Fagioli and Cher Ndour. We could also see Atta as the 10, or even out on the left if Christ Inao Oulaï replaces Guðmundsson to add more dynamism in the middle. Grosso’s got options, which is good. His job now is to piece together the strongest team he can.
2. Defensive transitions
The Deportivo la Coruña friendly made me a little nervous because it exposed what looked like an enormous tactical weakness in the defense. Every time Depor got the ball, it looked to hit long switches to Fiorentina’s right. João Mário tucked way in and allowed the opposing winger so much room that it was clearly part of the plan for both teams. That sort of obvious fragility makes me anxious even in a meaningless preseason game, although there are some mitigating circumstances.
One of Grosso’s principles seems to be not giving up any space between his centerback and fullback, even at the expense of allowing opposing wingers 15 yards of open space to get down the line. Since this was essentially an extended training session, maybe this was just a defensive strategy he’ll implement selectively. It might also be an attempt to mitigate the defensive shortcomings of his rightbacks, both of whom are much better going forward than backwards. Regardless, it’s something the team needs to figure out because leaving such an obvious vulnerability would be a disaster.
3. Aggression levels
Fiorentina’s players spent last year sleepwalking. Grosso’s primary job is less tactical and more emotional: he needs to make this team play with a good mentality, whatever that means. One game against a Serie B outfit won’t determine the course of the season but I’ll be looking for two things. The first is how well the players connect with each other. Stefano Pioli and Paolo Vanoli’s Viola moved the ball so slowly. The new signings, in contrast, seem like they’re about quick decisions and verticality. Getting everyone on the same page takes awhile at the best of times; with 5 or 6 new starters in the outfield, I’m keen to see if these guys can play like an actual team.
The second thing is even more abstract but more important. Fiorentina had the mental strength of a scared rabbit last year. Nobody looked confident in anything they did. Shuffling the roster so hard means there’s zero continuity. As far as the collective mindset, that could mean there’s a dramatic improvement. I want to see players who want to be there, who want the responsibility with and without the ball that was lacking last time out. If Grosso can install half the hunger in his team that, say, Vincenzo Italiano did, the Viola will be just fine.
Possible lineups
Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department
Nobody’s set the line for this one yet but Fiorentina will be the favorite by a significant margin based on the talent advantage up and down the roster. Benevento’s only competitive game so far was the last round’s win against Ravenna so it’s not like manager Antonio Floro Flores (no, seriously) has had more time to get the Stregoni machine humming. Anything less than a convincing win will be a disappointment for the Viola.
I think Fiorentina will meet that expectation with a 2-1 win, controlling the tempo and keeping the visitors pinned deep while creating some good chances, scoring in either half via Moise Kean and Atta before switching off late and letting Pierozzi in behind to pull one back. That won’t be enough to dampen the optimism we’re all letting take hold of us despite our better judgment.
Forza Viola!
