Rafael Benitez’s red militaries are favorites to win the battle, but nothing should be taken away from La Viola.
Certainly, the absence of Alberto Gilardino in Fiorentina’s squad on Tuesday will lower Liverpool’s anxiety at the back.
The Italian striker needs to serve a two-match ban following a red card which he received against Olympique Lyonnais.
Gilardino was charged by UEFA with violent conduct for elbowing Lyon’s Jeremy Toulalan a fortnight ago.
Losing Alberto Gilardino is surely a big blow to Fiorentina who also lost their club president on Thursday through resignation.
Gilardino has scored a few goals in the Italian Seria A this season to help Fiorentina challenge for a good place in the top half of the table.
La Viola will be keen to bounce back after losing by a single goal to nil against Lyon on Match-day 1 of the Champions League.
But without their star striker, how will they fair against Liverpool?
Gilardino will miss both the games against Liverpool and Debreceni. So if La Viola want to stay in contention for a place in the last sixteen of the Champions League, the fight starts on Tuesday.
It surely will be a kind of do-or-die affair for Fiorentina. The Italian side is currently on zero points in the table so another defeat will only rub salt on their wounds.
Thinking about the prospective threat that Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Kuyt, or even Ryan Babel can cause, there seems to be very few chances for Fiorentina to create anything good enough.
But football is an unpredictable game and luck can play the most part on Tuesday for the home side.
