Raffaele Palladino outlines how Fiorentina will approach Puskas Akademia in the Conference League play-off, revealing David De Gea and Sofyan Amrabat could start, but Nico Gonzalez ‘talks are on-going.’
The first leg kicks off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Thursday at 19.00 UK time (18.00 GMT).
These teams meet again for the decider in Hungary on August 29.
The Viola have dominated this tournament in recent years, reaching the Final for two consecutive campaigns, but losing both times to West Ham United and Olympiacos. Now under new coach Palladino, will it be third time lucky?
“We feel the emotion and the adrenaline, so we must be fired up, concentrated and motivated,” said the coach in his press conference.
“We want a great performance and I have few doubts, I see the right attitude already. The Conference League is very important and we want to bring enthusiasm to Florence.”
While Vincenzo Italiano was an old hand at this competition, Palladino has never entered a UEFA match on the bench before.
“I am proud and naturally it will be different to when being only in Serie A and the Coppa Italia. The squad is not yet complete right now, but the lads are giving their all and I trust them.”
Palladino’s Fiorentina not yet complete
The situation remains in flux for so many players, as Nico Gonzalez has for weeks been reportedly on the verge of a move to Juventus or Atalanta, while Sofyan Amrabat was surprisingly welcomed back into the group to start their Serie A opener against Parma.
“Amrabat is part of the Fiorentina squad, he is at our disposal and fully concentrated. If he does step onto the field, he will give his all for this shirt,” assured Palladino.
“As I’ve already said, I have a great rapport with Nico Gonzalez, he is a very honest guy. It is really inconceivable that the transfer market is still open while we are playing. This is a matter between him and the club, and there are talks on-going.
“I know that I have professionals who focus only on the game when they are called into action. Unfortunately, if you have a car and know how much fuel you have in the tank, then you can make plans, but if you don’t know what car you’ve got yet, you have to wait and see.”
Fiorentina signed veteran goalkeeper De Gea as a free agent, but then started Pietro Terracciano against Parma at the weekend, so who will take the gloves in the Conference League?
“De Gea needed more time, but he worked hard in training and can be called upon to start. Puskas Akademia are top of their league, have started the season earlier and so in better physical shape, they score a lot of goals and concede very few. They play the 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formations, play in transition, but we want to go through and must use our heads,” concluded Palladino.
French referee Willy Delajod has been assigned to the match, with Bastien Dechepy as the VAR.