Fiorentina vs Crotone predictions, betting tips & match preview

Fiorentina managed to seriously boost their strike rate in Serie A at the weekend, as they put five past Cagliari. La Viola had been pretty goal shy before Sunday’s game. However, is that an improvement, or is it just one result papering over the cracks? After all, those five goals count for almost 50% of their 11 goal haul this season. They clearly have some issues up top.

Can Fiorentina boost their scoring ratio again when they host Crotone? The visitors are without a win so far this season, and they’re currently propping up the table in Italy. They seem out of their depth at this level, although they did push Napoli close in a 2-1 defeat on Sunday. Can they keep things tight against a side who now average 1.38 goals per game this season?

Fiorentina’s home games so far have all been tight encounters, so expect more of the same here. They’ve been impressive at the Artemio Franchi, as La Viola have yet to concede in any of their games in front of their own fans. They’ve kept five straight clean sheets at home, with eight of their last 10 matches there seeing two goals or less. Seeing as the hosts score 82% of their goals on the road, a low scoring game is usually expected at this ground.

Crotone are looking to end an awful run of form. They’ve lost 89% of their games in Serie A so far, including 100% on the road. They’ve struggled in front of goal away from home, having found the net 0.6 times per game on average. Just 5% of their chances this season have found the back of the net, so their finishing is clearly lacking.

Judging by their away stats, and La Viola’s strong home defence, a win to nil seems like a smart bet. Paulo Sousa’s men are 10/11 with bet365 to claim a win here and keep a clean sheet. That’s happened in 50% of their games here so far, while Crotone have lost half of their away games to nil as well.

However, we’re avoiding that, due to Fiorentina’s scoring woes. They’ve drawn a blank here in 50% of their games, scoring just twice in total. That makes us a little hesitant about backing the hosts to win, so we’re simply backing their defence instead. La Viola to keep another home clean sheet is our tip, as we can’t see the bottom side being the first to break through here. That bet is priced at 4/5 with bet365.