If you’ve ever watched one of those disaster movies—think Armageddon, The Perfect Storm, or basically any season of The Walking Dead—there’s a moment when you realize that the ragtag heroes are outmanned, outgunned, and pretty much out of options. That’s Fiorentina right now: stuck in the basement of Serie A, three meager points from seven matches, and looking less like a club with European pedigree than a team that’s been marooned on the wrong end of a Netflix survival drama. But that makes this Sunday’s clash with Bologna at Stadio Artemio Franchi more than just another fixture. This is La Viola’s rock-bottom moment, and if they have any pride, now’s the time to start clawing their way up.
Let’s be honest, Fiorentina’s recent form reads like the sad montage from an underdog sports movie—one goal here, another there, but mostly just L’s flashing like a taunting neon sign. Their last Serie A win? You’d have to cue the sepia flashback to May. This is a team that, for the last month, couldn’t score in a bakery with a bag of flour and a recipe book. Averaging 0.5 goals per game across the last ten, this isn’t so much an attacking unit as it is a cautionary tale. Even their conference league win against Sigma Olomouc feels more like a fever dream than a statement of intent.
Meanwhile, across the pitch, Bologna are rolling in like that slick villain in an action flick who’s suddenly discovered compassion but still can’t help but win. Sitting fifth, thirteen points in their pocket, they’ve just pocketed back-to-back wins, including their first away victory since last March. They’re not quite the Avengers, but when Riccardo Orsolini’s on the prowl—four goals in the last five, a man in the kind of form that makes defenders rethink their life decisions—they don’t look scared of anyone. Add in a resurgent Emil Holm and contributions from Jens Odgaard and Cambiaghi, and Bologna have become that ensemble cast with just enough firepower to make you wonder if this is finally their year to punch above their weight.
So, what’s the real hook in all this? Stakes, pure and simple. For Fiorentina, this is less about three points and more about not plunging into a season-long existential crisis. You can practically smell the desperation coming off the stands in Florence. If Viola drop points here, the traps of relegation become less metaphorical and more like a bear trap snapping shut. For Bologna, it’s about keeping that outside chance at Europe alive, asserting that, maybe, just maybe, this isn’t a fluke or a hot streak—they’re for real.
Tactically, the Franchi will be a cauldron. Fiorentina, under siege and with the fans baying for any sign of life, need to find a pulse. Robin Gosens and Moise Kean, the only players who’ve found the net in recent league games, have to step up with the urgency of Liam Neeson realizing his daughter’s been taken. The midfield has to get grittier, take more risks, and give The Franchi crowd something—anything—to stand behind. Their backline, lately the soccer version of Swiss cheese, must become more like the Berlin Wall if they’ve got any hope.
Bologna? They’ll play with swagger. You can bet they’ll press high, look to force mistakes from a nervy Fiorentina defense, and let Orsolini do his thing—cutting inside, taking on defenders, shooting on sight like he thinks he’s in a highlight reel. If Holm and Cambiaghi overlap and get service, all bets are off.
Ultimately, this comes down to whose narrative holds. Is this Fiorentina’s redemption arc—the “everyone wrote us off, but look at us now!” moment—or will Bologna keep playing spoilers, like that one sitcom character who always ruins the big reveal? My head says Bologna comes in, plays the percentages, soaks up the pressure, and hits the punchline with a goal or two on the break. But my heart, recalling every last-gasp, against-all-odds sports movie montage, wonders if maybe—just maybe—Fiorentina have one glorious scene left in them.
Sunday, the curtain rises. Will Fiorentina rediscover their soul, or will Bologna write another chapter in their climb? One thing’s for sure: if you love drama, you don’t want to miss this. Grab your popcorn—the Franchi is about to become the set of Serie A’s latest thriller.