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FLORENCE, ITALY – APRIL 16: Head coach Paolo Vanoli of ACF Fiorentina reacts during the UEFA Conference League 2025/26 Quarter-Final Leg Two match between ACF Fiorentina and Crystal Palace FC at Stadio Artemio Franchi on April 16, 2026 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)
Paolo Vanoli explains his choices as Fiorentina visit Lecce in tonight’s relegation dogfight and warns they ‘need to be on our toes’ to get precious points.
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It kicks off at the Stadio Via del Mare at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST).
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.
This could well be a decisive crossroads in the battle to avoid relegation, because the Viola are currently eight points clear of Lecce, who are in the bottom three, and a defeat here could blow the whole race wide open.
Vanoli has to balance Fiorentina squad
“It is an important match, points that can get us close to our target, but we are up against a team equally eager to get decisive results, so we need to be on our toes,” Vanoli told DAZN Italia.
Fiorentina were in action on Thursday in the Conference League quarter-final, as although they beat Crystal Palace 2-1, they were still eliminated 4-2 on aggregate.
There are several changes from the line-up in that game, including Manor Solomon dropping to the bench.
“Solomon was coming off a long injury, he played so well for 80 minutes against Crystal Palace, and with more games on the horizon, we didn’t want to risk him,” explained Vanoli.
The biggest problem remains injuries for Fiorentina, as Moise Kean, Fabiano Parisi, Nicolò Fortini and Tariq Lamptey are still out of action.
Is there any clue when Italy international Kean will be available again with that recurring ankle issue?
“As I always said, this is a problem that both we as a club and he as a player are working to ensure he can get back to the field as soon as possible, because he is an important figure for us.”
