On Monday, Juventus and Roma faced off on what was billed as what should have been the most interesting fixture of round 25 for calcio followers. After a rather bland first 45, things got a bit more exciting when Carlos Tevez broke the deadlock with a brilliant free-kick that even midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo, who missed out due to injury, would have been proud of. It all seemed that the Bianconeri had the title in the bag, especially when the Giallorossi went down to ten men but Seydou Keita popped up with a late and vital equaliser to keep Roma's title hopes perhaps hanging by a slim thread.
As any Serie A fan is well aware, Juventus Stadium has been come an unbreachable fortress over the past few seasons, such that no team since Bayern in April 2013 have been able to depart Turin with a win. However, that could soon change. Their upcoming opponents, Fiorentina, have been in a rich vein of form since signing Chelsea's Mohamed Salah on loan this January. And in a poll conducted recently by Gazzetta dello Sport, Serie A supporters voted the Egyptian international as the best signing of this past January's transfer window.
It is easy to see why. Since arriving in Florence, the 22-year-old has been simply fantastic for the Viola, netting three goals in his past four games, including the match-winner against Inter this past weekend. Vincenzo Montella's men currently sit in fifth, just three points behind Napoli who occupy the last Champions League spot and given their great form as of late will certainly be fancying their chances as the season continues to progress.
However for now, the focus will be the Coppa Italia, in which Fiorentina were undone by Napoli during the finals last season. Both teams heading into this game have been excellent. The Viola are presently enjoying a 12-match unbeaten run across all competitions whilst la Vecchia Signora have only lost once in their past 20-plus games in all competitions - their Supercoppa Italiana defeat to Napoli before the Christmas break.
Massimiliano Allegri will still be without the services of Pirlo, who continues to nurse a calf problem and will not risk him, with their second leg clash with Bundesliga outfit Dortmund on the horizon. As for Montella, both Khouma Babacar and Stefan Savic are still struggling with muscular troubles and Nenad Tomovic, who suffered a nasty head injury against the Nerazzurri this past weekend will not make the trip to Turin. Another absentee for the Viola will be David Pizarro, as the Chilean midfielder also has his own fitness issues of his own and will have to view the match from his own living room.
Historically, Juventus and Fiorentina have met 12 times in the Coppa Italia. The Viola have won five out of those dozen meetings, whilst the Bianconeri have emerged victorious on three occasions, and the other four resulted in stalemates. However to find the last time the Tuscan side have defeated the Turin powerhouse, one would have to go back nearly 30 years to September 1985. And finally, la Vecchia Signora's home ground again acts as the 12th man as not only have Juventus won three out of their five home games against Fiorentina, but the last time they actually lost in Turin?
That was well before any of the players, nor the coaches, and the overwhelming majority of Italian football fans who will watch it tomorrow were born. In fact, it was even prior to their parents' births and perhaps, even in some cases, before their grandparents came into the world. The last - and only - time Juventus lost to Fiorentina at home in a Coppa Italia match was in May 1936.
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