Fiorentina go into Fiorentina vs Juventus with something they have lacked for months: a little momentum. A win over Sassuolo restored some confidence before the visit of Juventus, and Paolo Vanoli is asking for that brief lift to turn into a first home league victory since April 13.
That date still hangs over the Franchi. Fiorentina have not won a home league match since beating Lazio 1-0 on April 13, and six defeats in their opening ten matches have left a mark on belief. This is why the match matters now, not as a distant rivalry fixture but as a chance to end a run that has shaped the mood around the team all season.
Vanoli has made the message plain to the squad he is trying to build. “My goal is to teach the new players what Fiorentina is all about,” he said, and the work is as much about identity as it is about points. He wants Fiorentina to find a better balance between attacking ability, covering space and a willingness to work hard for the team, a mix he believes is needed if they are to move away from danger and give the Franchi a night to celebrate before the break.
The signs have been there, but only in pieces. Fiorentina have shown encouraging spells in first halves against Inter and Como, and in second halves against Atalanta and Sassuolo, which is enough to suggest the side is improving without yet being complete. That is the gap Vanoli is trying to close: a team that can look competitive in stretches, then hold that level for 90 minutes when the pressure is highest.
The win over Sassuolo offered a cleaner picture of what Fiorentina want to become, but it also came against the backdrop of a difficult start that still leaves confidence fragile. Atta is expected to return after the break, which adds another piece to the squad Vanoli is shaping. Until then, Juventus is the immediate test, and for Fiorentina the point is simple: turn the signs of life into a result that changes the feel of the season, at least for one night at the Franchi.
