Davide Astori’s brother admits he thought fate had intervened when Stefano Pioli’s Milan were scheduled to play Fiorentina on the fifth anniversary of the captain’s death.
It kicks off at the Stadio Franchi at 19.45 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
It was five years ago today that Fiorentina captain Astori went to sleep in the team hotel ahead of a Serie A game with Udinese and never woke up.
He had an undiagnosed heart condition that caused his heartbeat to slow so much that it stopped.
Pioli was the Fiorentina coach at the time in March 2018 and everyone recognises how important he was in helping them get through that tragedy.
“I don’t generally believe in fate, but I was struck by the timing,” Bruno Astori told Firenzeviola.it.
“That five years to the day since Davide’s death coincided with the game between the clubs where he started and ended his career, and with his last coach participating too, that struck me.
“Stefano has stayed in constant touch with us over the years and I recognise he shares the same human values that Davide had. I like to think that my brother is helping him to carry on with what he left us.”
A charitable association set up by Astori’s family will have a fund-raising drive at the Stadio Franchi this evening, aiming to provide chemotherapy treatment to children in Cameroon.
Viola teammates Cristiano Biraghi and Riccardo Saponara recorded an appeal to help boost the campaign.
“The rapport with Cristiano and Ricky has always been extraordinary. The day the association was founded, I went to the training ground and we had a long talk. I like spending time with them, as it feels like I was spending time with Davide.”
Fiorentina named the training ground after Astori, while his name is always read out at the end of the team-sheet at the Stadio Franchi and the crowd applauds in his honour at the 13th minute, for DA13.
“I feel able to experience Davide in the people who say he left his mark on them. This is why we created the association in his name, as it’s what he would’ve wanted.
“The rapport with his ex-teammates is still strong. What makes me happier than anything else is that even those who didn’t know Davide still understand the inheritance he left here and they are proud of it. That’s how I felt seeing Fiorentina celebrate the win in Verona last week.”
After the training ground, there are also talks about naming a garden in the city after Astori and a section of the Fiorentina facilities under construction.
“It’s lovely, although I am also convinced Davide would be rather embarrassed by all the attention…”