Arsenal vs Fiorentina 18/07/19

18 July 2019

Arsenal and Fiorentina will face-off at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in the 2019 International Champions Cup, which will be the first H2H meeting between these two sides in the 21st century.

The Gunners have started the 2019 ICC off on the right foot, securing a 2-1 win over Bayern Munich, which was their second win in three friendly games this summer (W2, D1). For Arsenal, goals have been flowing in the recent period, with Unai Emery’s men finding the net in eight consecutive games, scoring 2+ match goals six times in the process. But, the Spaniard’s main problem remains Arsenal’s fragile defense that has struggled to keep a clean sheet in ten of the North Londoner’s last 11 outings, conceding over 1.5 goals per match six times along the way. As a result, ten of Arsenal’s last 11 games have produced over 2.5 goals, while nine have witnessed goals at both ends.

The Italian team has done well in their pre-season so far, having secured three wins from as many games, including the one over Chivas Guadalajara at the beginning of this tournament. It was important for Vincenzo Montella to see his team bouncing back following a dreadful second half of last season that has seen them fail to pick up a win in 16 consecutive outings (D7, L9). Interestingly, while all three of Fiorentina’s matches in pre-season produced of 2.5 goals, all five of their last games in the 2018-19 campaign have featured under 1.5 goals, with four of them ending with the same 1-0 scoreline against their favor (D1, L4). Still, Viola’s defensive frailties have seen them concede at least one goal in eight of their previous ten games, allowing over 1.5 goals per match twice though.