A Monday night battle at the bottom of the table sees Cesare Prandelli's Fiorentina welcome Genoa to Stadio Artemio Franchi, with the ex-Azzurri coach determined to overcome pre-match disruption and back-to-back losses since his return to the Viola dugout.
The visitors have now lost four league games on the spin to slump into 19th place in the Serie A standings ahead of their trip to Tuscany.
Match preview
Since Prandelli's return to the bench - in place of Beppe Iachini last month - Fiorentina have suffered defeats against Benevento and Milan. They currently occupy 16th place in the standings, just two points from the relegation zone - a far cry from owner Rocco Commisso's stated aims at the start of the season.
The Viola are yet to score a league goal under new management and have not been able to register one in Serie A for over 400 minutes in total. Their last league strike - which brought about their last victory - came in a 3-2 home win against Udinese at the end of October.
An array of Fiorentina forwards, such as Dusan Vlahovic, Christian Kouame and Jose Callejon - who has been bizarrely used as both a wing-back and a false nine this term - have failed to fire and even star man Franck Ribery has started to blow hot and cold.
Only one player has scored more than a single goal this season for the Tuscan team - midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli with four - though the Italy international has also gone off the boil of late.
All of which amounts to a paltry tally of eight points in their first nine games, representing their worst start in the three-points-for-a-win era.
The only real ray of light for the Viola so far has been their progress to the last-16 of the Coppa Italia, where a home tie with Inter awaits in January.
Likewise Genoa, as Rolando Maran's side may also be through to the final stages of the Coppa thanks to a recent derby win over ground-sharing rivals Sampdoria but have not won in Serie A since an opening day defeat of modest Crotone - now the only side below them in the table.
The pressure continues to mount on Maran after a desperate streak of eight games without a league win and if Fiorentina's goal troubles are concerning, then the Grifone's are even more so.
Genoa's is the second worst attack in the league, with just eight goals scored at an average of less than one per game. Returning striker Eldor Shomurodov scored their only goal in last week's defeat to Parma and can perhaps bear some of the load his strikeforce colleagues have been so manifestly struggling with.
In Shomurodov's absence, young Gianluca Scamacca - on loan from Sassuolo - has scored nearly half of his team's goals in all competitions this term and will be keen to register a first away goal of the campaign in Florence.
Though Genoa have lost only one of their last nine Serie A encounters with Fiorentina - a period which includes six draws - Monday's hosts are unbeaten in their last 22 home games against them in the top flight. Though the Grifone's last league win at Stadio Artemio Franchi was way back in 1977, six of the last seven league fixtures between the clubs there have ended in a draw.
With goals hard to come by for both teams this season, it promises to be a closely-fought encounter once more - one from which Maran must aim for all three points, with Juventus and Milan the next two visitors to Marassi.
Fiorentina Serie A form: DWLDLL
Fiorentina form (all competitions): WLDLWL
Genoa Serie A form: LDLLLL
Genoa form (all competitions): DLLLWL
Team News
Fiorentina prepare for this crunch clash with an almost fully fit squad - and manager, after Cesare Prandelli passed a COVID-19 test having returned a positive result just days before - as Franck Ribery (ankle) and captain German Pezzella (foot) have overcome injuries, though veteran midfielder Borja Valero could remain sidelined.
Chile international Erick Pulgar will make his return following a spell in self-isolation and may start in a 4-3-3 - behind which will be star performer, goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski. Ribery and Jose Callejon will flank the central striker, which is most likely to be goal-shy Dusan Vlahovic.
As so often this season, Genoa will arrive in Florence with several key men unavailable. Veteran schemer Lasse Schone, fellow midfielder Francesco Cassata, defenders Domenico Criscito and Davide Zappacosta, and striker Mattia Destro are all under quarantine but could yet be involved with another round of testing due before kickoff.
Miha Zajc, Valon Behrami, Davide Biraschi, Luca Pellegrini and Marko Pjaca recently tested negative, so can be called upon by under-fire Rolando Maran.
Goalkeeper Mattia Perin is unavailable after returning from suspension due to a muscle injury, so Alberto Paleari will deputise once more.
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Caceres, Pezzella, Milenkovic, Biraghi; Amrabat, Pulgar, Castrovilli; Callejon, Vlahovic, Ribery
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Paleari; Bani, Goldaniga, Zapata; Ghiglione, Sturaro, Badelj, Lerager, Pellegrini; Scamacca, Shomurodov
We say: Fiorentina 1-1 Genoa
Fiorentina have been flat and lifeless under both management teams so far and face December's packed fixture list in dire need of a win - but confidence is low.
With a never-ending number of absences plaguing visitors Genoa since September, they have been on the back foot from the off. Perhaps the return of Eldor Shomurodov up front can help the Grifone steal a point home from Florence on Monday to stop them being cut adrift before a tough run of fixtures.
