Fiorentina vs Maccabi Haifa: Lineups and how to watch

Late news

Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano has thrown a curveball. Davide Faraoni and Lucas Martínez Quarta start in defense, as expected, but the midfield is a curious hodgepodge. Giacomo Bonaventura will play as part of a double pivot with Rolando Mandragora as Conference League assassin Antonín Barák slots in as the 10. Such a forward-minded engine room indicates how Italiano expects his opponents to play but does raise some questions about covering counterattacks.

Maccabi Haifa manager Messay Dego, for his part, has cobbled together a lineup featuring 6 defenders. It’s unclear which of Daniel Sundgren and Ilay Feingold will play in the middle and which on the right. Keep an eye on Italiano’s former Spezia protegee Suf Podgoreanu in attack, as well.

Local authorities have worried that this one could get ugly, for obvious geopolitical reasons, and have taken strong measures (including barring the sale of alcohol not just in the Artemio Franchi but in the entire city center) that many fans have rejected. A number of shops have closed and the police are out in force, but so far (about an hour before kickoff) it seems peaceful enough.

Lineups

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Faraoni, Martínez Quarta, Ranieri, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Mandragora; Ikoné, Barák, González; Belotti

Maccabi Haifa (3-4-2-1): Kaiuf; Feingold, Seck, Šimić; Sundgren, Goldberg, Mohamed, Cornud; Podgoreanu, Refaelov; Pierrot

How to watch

TV: The Conference League rarely gets broadcast, so expect to stream this one, but check the international television listings to be sure.

Online: Here is your list of safe, reliable, and legal streams. Any requests for or links to illegal streams will get you banned. If you’re the Twitter type, we’ll be posting live updates there. Otherwise, keep it in the comments for the usual no-parachute-after-jumping-out-of-an-airplane horror and exhilaration with the best damn sports community on the internet.

Forza Viola!