Vincenzo Italiano hopes Fiorentina can use their Conference League victory to reboot their Serie A season in a local head-to-head with Empoli. ‘Something is holding us back.’
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 GMT at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
The Viola seem to be a completely different side in cup competitions, reaching the Coppa Italia semi-final that will be played against Cremonese and now with one foot in the Conference League Round of 16.
They picked up a stunning 4-0 victory away to 10-man SC Braga on Thursday evening, the first leg of that play-off.
“I am convinced that game can give us a real boost immediately. We’ll be back on the pitch again after two days and I hope that surge of confidence will also be felt in the league, so we can express ourselves at the same level as in the cup,” Italiano told the official Fiorentina website.
“I am pleased with the quality we put onto the pitch and the attitude we had.”
It was also a rare occasion in that their strikers found the net, both Luka Jovic and Arthur Cabral bagging a brace each.
“We always tried to put them in a condition to give their best and on Thursday we did really well with our finishing, so I hope that can show us the way in future.”
This is a local derby against fellow Tuscans Empoli as well as a tussle for position, as the Viola are surprisingly three points behind their neighbours in the table.
“It is a difficult match, but this time the teams know each other and we must concentrate more on what we have to do. I hope the fans will be behind us from the first to the 90th minute. Something is holding us back in Serie A and we have to find the right key to unlock that.”
Fiorentina managed only one point from their last five Serie A games.