Fiorentina vs Cremonese

Fiorentina and Cremonese are set to trade tackles in the return leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Out-of-form Fiorentina hold a 2-0 aggregate lead as they approach the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final. However, some knowledgeable fans may recall that the team that won the first leg has failed to advance in two of their club’s last four semi-final appearances in this competition. Unless Fiorentina suffer a catastrophic collapse against Cremonese, who are facing relegation in Serie A, they should face either Inter Milan or Juventus in the title decider. However, since Spezia knocked them down from a formidable nine-match winning streak earlier in April (1-1), Vincenzo Italiano’s men have managed just one win in their last four competitive outings (D1, L2), including a pair of 3-2 defeats to Monza and Lech Poznan in Serie A and Europa League, respectively.

In the meantime, a woeful 3-0 defeat at Udinese last weekend snapped Cremonese’s two-game winning league run and likely condemned them to relegation from Serie A. Adding to the skepticism about the possibility of a major upset, it’s worth noting that the visitors haven’t won by a three-goal margin since their 4-1 victory against Ascoli during their promotion campaign last season. And while four of Cremonese’s seven wins across the entirety of 2022/23 came in the Coppa Italia after they opened the scoring, Davide Ballardini’s lads have let Fiorentina draw first blood in all three meetings this season (L3). Having won just one of their last six competitive away games (D2, L3), they’re unlikely to progress into their first-ever Coppa Italia grand final from only their second semi-final appearance.