In-depth Analysis
Although they had home advantage in the first leg, Fiorentina found themselves in a difficult position after conceding the opening goal. However, thanks to their relentless fighting spirit and the timely brilliance of Ndour and especially Gudmundsson in the closing stages, the Serie A side came from behind to secure a narrow 2-1 victory, giving themselves a certain edge before the return trip to Poland.
That momentum was maintained by De Gea’s men, who delivered an explosive performance away at Cremonese in Serie A last weekend, scoring four goals past their opponents. Looking more broadly, Fiorentina have won three of their last four away matches. Going even further back, the Viola have won four and lost only two of their last seven trips on the road – a statistic that clearly shows their away form has improved significantly.
This becomes even more notable when considering that in the previous 13 away matches before that run, Fiorentina managed just one win. Clearly, the Italian side have made major progress in terms of composure and resilience whenever they play away from home, and now is the time for them to make full use of that improvement to complete their mission at Rakow’s stadium.
In contrast to Fiorentina’s resurgence, Rakow are currently going through a highly unstable period. The Polish side have just suffered their second consecutive defeat after losing 1-3 away to Gornik Zabrze in the domestic league. With the need to win the second leg against Fiorentina, that requirement is beginning to look like an extremely difficult task for Rakow at this moment.
In fact, the numbers show that in their last nine official matches, Rakow have managed only two victories and have lost as many as four times. Although their home form offers some hope, with four wins and just one defeat in their last five home games, even so, the challenge posed by Fiorentina may still be beyond the Polish side at this stage.