Fiorentina vs Cremonese Prediction: Will the Florentines be able to keep the handicap at home?

Fiorentina beat Cremonese 2:0 on the road in the first leg of the semi-final. Will the Florentines be able to keep that handicap at home to reach the final of the prestigious tournament?

The Violets have a busy schedule. The match against Cremonese will be the fifth for the team in the last two weeks. During this stretch, Fiorentina has prioritized the Conference League, where they beat the Polish Lech (4:1 away, 2:3 at home) and advanced to the semi-finals, where they will now play the Swiss team, Basel. In the league, the Florentines were unable to beat Atalanta at home (1:1). They lost away to Monza (2:3). At the same time, even earlier, they failed to overcome La Spezia at home (1:1). But the play-offs in other competitions are more critical to Fiorentina than Serie A, the more so because, apart from the Conference League, the Italians can also win the domestic cup. At least after their 2:0 away win over Cremonese, their progression to the final looks all but certain.

If the cup competitions are essential to Fiorentina, the national championship is the absolute priority for Cremonese. The team is sitting in the relegation zone, seven points behind 17th. Two victories in a row over Sampdoria (3:2) and Empoli (1:0) improved the situation for Cremona. Still, on the previous matchday, the Grays-Reds lost again, albeit horribly, away to Udinese (0:3). Most likely, in the Cup meeting with Fiorentina, coach Ballardini will rotate the squad to be better prepared for the next league game. Cremonese have no particular chance of beating the Florentines.

After the first leg against Cremonese, Fiorentina had a two-goal handicap, but rather than forcing the team to play defensively, they could lose concentration. It should be recalled that in the Conference League quarter-final, after the 4:1 away win over Lech, Fiorentina was already trailing 3:0 midway through the second half and only got back into the game, scoring two goals. Something similar may happen in the upcoming match. We're betting on many goals, with both teams certain to score.