Juventus and Fiorentina out to prove a point when Serie A rivalry resumes with clash of styles in Florence

As the clocks go back, the nights draw in and November’s wintry weather arrives, fans of Juventus and Fiorentina are starting to ask – is this for real?

With 10 games gone and the days of sipping a spritz in summer sunshine fading into memory, both clubs find themselves in promising positions.

For Juventus, that means second place and with it, timid hopes that they could be in the Scudetto race again after three years of failing to mount a challenge.

For Fiorentina, it means a place in the top six that has them tantalisingly close – two points, to be precise – to a top four spot. If La Viola end the season there, it would earn them a first crack at the Champions League in 15 years.

But for every optimistic fan buzzing about the gifts that 2023/24 could hold, there will be a cynic pointing to a stack of recent history suggesting they might not last the course.

The resumption of this bitter rivalry at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday – live on TNT Sports 1 – will therefore be a chance for both clubs to make a statement that their respective early-season runs are not just a false dawn.

For almost a decade between 2011 and 2020, Juventus made the summit of the Serie A table their home.

But the extent of their fall from grace was underlined on Saturday night, when a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona sealed in the 97th minute sent the Old Lady alone on top for the first time in more than three years.

They only stayed there for the night, before Inter’s win over Roma restored the Nerazzurri to top spot, but it was a sign of things finally swinging in the right direction for Massimiliano Allegri’s side.

This Juve team doesn't convince everyone. Their reactive, defensive style puts them 10th in the league for average ball possession and seventh for goals scored, while an underying fragility was exposed in a 4-2 defeat to Sassuolo in September.

But since then, they have looked more and more like a vintage Allegri team. The coach is famous for using a horse racing metaphor to explain his philosophy - that winning by a ‘corto muso’, or the length of a horse’s snout, is enough. Winning is all that matters.

That has been clear in Juve’s last five games, where they have picked up three 1-0 wins (vs Verona, AC Milan and Lecce), one 2-0 win (vs Torino) and a 0-0 draw vs Atalanta. It has been a masterclass in ruthless efficiency.

Juve’s style may not win many neutral admirers, but it has been effective enough to raise some predictions of a first Scudetto since 2019/20.

“Juve are coming off a difficult period and therefore they have a huge hunger,” former Bianconeri striker Fabrizio Ravanelli told TvPlay.

“They aren’t at the same technical level of Inter or Napoli, but they have an impressive competitive edge.”

However, Allegri continues to say that a top-four finish is his objective. “We are looking behind us at fifth place,” he said after the win against Verona.

Asked about a Scudetto challenge, he added: “Everything in life must be desired. For us, it’s important to get back in the top four and to improve.”

Juve have not had their troubles to seek off the pitch over the last year; they were booted out of Europe following a financial investigation last season, and lost midfielders Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli to doping and gambling bans respectively this term.

Events on the pitch have finally given them reason to be cheerful, but Sunday’s trip to Florence promises to be one of their sternest tests yet.

Fiorentina are one of the most improved sides in Serie A so far this season; along with Juve and Inter they are seven points better off than at this stage in 2022/23, a swing only bettered by Bologna (eight points).

After reaching the Europa Conference League final last term, opening a brand-new training facility last month and getting off to their best start under exciting coach Vincenzo Italiano this term, things are looking bright in Tuscany.

They are also often a joy to watch, with an exciting and proactive team boasting the second-highest average possession in the league and averaging just under two goals a game.

But if you’re looking for a mood of relaxed optimism at the Franchi on Sunday, forget about it.

For Fiorentina, this is their biggest fixture of the season. Juventus are La Viola’s most hated rivals, and boast two former players likely to get a frosty reception in Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic.

They come into this clash as a wounded animal, after back-to-back league defeats to Empoli and Lazio put a dent in their otherwise impressive start.

Relegation battling Empoli’s 2-0 win in Florence was just their second victory of the season and a major shock, while Lazio snatched three points with the final kick of the game in Rome thanks to a 95th-minute Ciro Immobile penalty.

“It’s an infuriating defeat, we played a great game and gave little away,” Italiano said afterwards.

Italiano’s side have already shown they can hurt the big boys this season, beating Atalanta and Napoli, but ending their mini-slump against Juventus would be their most prized scalp yet.

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