Fiorentina vs Pisa: Preview

Get them antlers up. | Getty Images

Fresh off spanking Jagiellonia Białystok in the Conference League on Thursday, Fiorentina returns home for a stiffer test in the Tuscan derby against Pisa. This fixture ended scoreless last time around, albeit in the Stefano Pioli days. The Nerazzurri have just 15 points and look like a lost cause. A defeat here would all but consign them to Serie B. Fiorentina, in contrast, could yet stay up but need 3 points to keep pace with Lecce, which is a sentence that nobody should ever have to write.

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The match will be played at 17:30 GMT/12:30 PM EST on Monday, 23 February 2026, at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in beautiful Firenze. The forecast calls for a reasonably warm evening, especially in comparison to the arctic conditions the Viola just endured in Białystok. As a reminder, Paolo Vanoli’s suspended after his red card against Como so Daniele Cavalletto will run the show for the good guys. For the record, the team’s undefeated in matches the mister’s been sent off or suspended this year, beating Como and Bologna and drawing Milan.

Three things to watch for

1. Extra sizzle in the derby

Fiorentina needs to win in order to avoid this fixture next year. Lose and they’ll be that much closer to relegation, likely alongside Pisa. 3 points will pull the Viola level with Lecce, who were pasted 0-2 by Inter Milan today. Beyond that, though, Fiorentina’s won consecutive games for the first time this season. The players are demonstrating the grinta that a team in this position needs. That means the fans could be feeling a little friskier than usual, too, adding a bit of spice to this already spicy burgoo.

For Pisa, this one’s a must-win if there’s any hope to shuffle off the trapdoor. A defeat would leave it 9 points adrift of Fiorentina with a dozen games left, an insurmountable gap for a team that’s won a single game all year and just slumped to a scoreless draw at similarly-doomed Hellas Verona. No, the Nerazzurri are going down, barring a miracle, and now need to find some reason to keep playing. Claiming the club’s first-ever win at the Franchi would give the fans a sweet memory to savor, mitigating the bitterness of another season in Serie B.

Throw in those circumstances with the firmly-established rivalry between these two cities and fan bases and you’ve got a recipe for fireworks. Referee Maurizio Mariani’s usual laissez faire approach might not be enough because both sides will want to establish their physical dominance early on and either get the crowd into it or remove it from the equation. As always with Fiorentina, you can throw out any talent advantage or recent form as major factors in a derby. It’s all about heart and we’ll see who has more on Monday.

2. Welcome back, old friends

David de Gea, Dodô, Manor Solomon, and Moise Kean didn’t even make the trip to Poland as they dealt with minor health issues but they’ve all recovered in time for this one. Albert Guðmundsson’s probably out but that’s not exactly a negative, given the Icelandic forward’s performances over the course of the season. With a bit of positive momentum and a nearly entire squad, you’d have to think that the Viola are in good shape, right? Right?

The answer to this obviously rhetorical question is, “Uh, maybe?” The grit we’ve seen from the players over the past couple outings has been a reversal from the unearned entitlement they’ve displayed all year, starting with Pioli’s declaration that this was a Champions League-level side. The recent improvement is about attitude and I’m not sure the stars can summon that same cornered rat intensity right off the bat. If they can, Fiorentina should be fine. If they don’t play like a scrappy bunch of underdogs, though, it could turn ugly.

3. Beans aren’t always a main course

Nicolò Fagioli’s goal against Como was a bit lucky but also showed his class on the ball. He’s been the team’s main (only?) creative force all year. I’m still not convinced he’s a regista and would like to see him deployed farther up the pitch so he can unlock opposing defenses rather than focus on progressing the ball from the defensive third. Unfortunately, there’s no consistent progression from anyone else back there aside from the occasional Marin Pongračić burst and none of us want to see that too often.

If Nicky Beans has to play deep, his fellow midfielders need to pick up the slack in the final third. Marco Brescianini’s runs over the top drive opposing midfields back, giving his colleagues more space even when he isn’t directly impacting the game. With Rolando Mandragora suspended, then, the impetus is to find another midfielder who can play deeper. I think Cher Ndour’s probably earned it due to his physicality and defensive work. Giovanni Fabbian and Jacopo Fazzini are too attack-minded to pair with Brescianini and neither’s much of a passer. Cher isn’t either but this could be an opportunity to show some progress.

Possible lineups

Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department

The bookies lean very heavily towards Fiorentina and, for the first time in months, I agree with them. It’s exceedingly rare for the Viola to be in better form than an opponent but Pisa hasn’t won in 14 straight and looks like what the standings say it is: one of the worst teams in Serie A. The only danger here is that, as I said earlier, the derby often interrupts form and talent, rendering any attempts at prognostication futile.

Even so, I’ll take the hosts to take it 2-1 behind goals from Kean and Brescianini, with Moreo grabbing a consolation. I’d also take the over on fouls and cards because this is probably going to be a very physical match. Both sides will come into it with a lot of intensity and a lot of animus and, spurred on by a stadium that will whip everyone into a frenzy, I wouldn’t be shocked if we saw someone sent off.

Forza Viola!

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