Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Fiorentina and Cagliari, the two teams who are almost level on points in the Serie A table, face each other at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Matchday 17. The Viola aim to make amends for a 2-1 loss to Lazio, and it seems as if they will not have a better chance than this to return to winning ways in the Italian top flight. Even though important midfielders Castrovilli (suspension) and Ribery (injury) are out of contention, home win should be considered.
A man to watch in the home team will be Serbia international Vlahovic, who impressed in a 3-0 win over Juventus two weeks ago. The Rossoblu, on the other hand, are on a three-game losing run in the Serie A. Cagliari have been struggling at the back of late, and we do not believe that they are capable of spoiling Fiorentina’s party at Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Highlighted Player (Franck Ribery):
After playing for the likes of Boulougne, Ales, Brest and Metz in France, Frank Ribery joined Galatasaray in 2005, but he spent no more than six months at the club. The French winger, who was born on 7 April, 1983, returned to Ligue 1, signing a deal with Olympique Marseille. Ribery scored 11 goals in 60 league appearances for the OM and Bayern Munich scouts spotted him during the 2006/2007 season.
The French footballer signed a four-year deal with the Bavarians on 7 June, 2007 for a fee of €25 million. Ribery has been playing for the German giants ever since and it has to be noted that he won his sixth Bundesliga trophy in the 2015/2016 season and the Champions League title in 2013.
The Bayern Munich ace played for France at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and he made it to the final of the tournament with les Tricolores. He has 13 caps for France U21 team. Ribery’s younger brothers Francois and Steven are footballers as well.
Highlighted Team (Cagliari):
Cagliari are a professional football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. I Rossoblu (The Red and Blues) compete in Italian Serie A and the club’s biggest success came in 1970, when they won the national championship.
Cagliari finished the season in top position in the standings, four points clear of Juventus and it has to be noted that Luigi Riva led Cagliari to their first Serie A trophy.
I Rossoblu welcome their rivals at Stadio Sant’Elia and the capacity of the stadium is 16,000. In the 1993/1994 season Cagliari made it to the UEFA Cup semis, with the team suffering a loss to fellow Italian club Inter in the two-legged tie.
Giuseppe Pancaro helped Cagliari record a 3-2 win over Inter in the first leg, but I Rossoblu were hammered by the Nerazzurri in the second leg (3-0). Palermo are regarded as Cagliari’s main rivals and the two teams square off against each other in the Derby delle Isole.