Cesc Fabregas insists he is ‘not afraid’ of launching Mattia Liberali for his first Como start today, while Paolo Vanoli urges Fiorentina to ‘learn from our mistakes and start better.’
It kicks off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence at 14.00 UK time (15.00 CEST).
The Lariani are struggling to get to grips with the added pressures of Champions League football, having never even played in Europe before, and have seen their resources stretched a little thin.
They scraped one point from the last two Serie A matches and suffered their first UEFA defeat away to Feyenoord midweek, where Assane Diao sustained an injury, joining Moise Kean on the treatment table.
Como are also forced into a late change, as Yan Couto pulled out in the warm-up, replaced by Ivan Smolcic.
Fabregas and Vanoli prepared
“It is always difficult, because there are so many players who deserve time, and it’s also tough when there are so many games close together,” Como coach Fabregas told DAZN Italia.
“Some are getting used to playing with our system, so I need to evaluate how many changes to make and when. It’s a process of adaptation for all of us, we need to be on the same level.”
There are several changes today, including the first start for 19-year-old Italian talent Liberali.
“Liberali is an excellent player who looks a bit stronger physically than he was when he first arrived,” insisted Fabregas.
“He is at the start of his career, we had so many young players come through here, I am not afraid of using them, all I ask is that they show courage and work for the team.”
Fiorentina received a boost when Vanoli first returned to take over from Fabio Grosso, beating Fiorentina 4-2 and then holding Napoli to a draw.
However, they faltered in a 2-1 defeat to Genoa that saw them sucked back into the danger zone.
“We need to learn from our mistakes,” Vanoli told DAZN Italia.
“If we start from the second half against Genoa, we must recognise we’ve always gone behind, so that means we need to start better and defend as a unit.
“I try to use the best line-up for every match, Beto and Pellegrino are both hungry and could even play together, it’s purely a tactical decision. We want to find greater consistency.”