Genoa visit the Stadio Artemio Franchi to take on Fiorentina on Saturday in Week 21 of Serie A – and we’ve prepared these five nuggets of wisdom to get you in the mood for the clash.

2.    Genoa haven’t won at Fiorentina in nearly 43 years, with their last victory coming on 27 March 1977. Roberto Pruzzo gave the Grifone the lead in the second half, and though Gianfranco Casarsa quickly equalised for Fiorentina from the penalty spot, Ignazio Arcoleo scored the decisive goal ten minutes from the end to give Genoa all three points. Since then, Fiorentina have won 11 and drawn 11 against Genoa at home, scoring 35 goals and conceding 17.

3.    The most memorable Fiorentina v Genoa match-up of them all is without doubt the 3-2 win for the Viola on 21 November 1982, in Week 9 of Serie A. This was the day that Giancarlo Antognoni suffered his horror injury after clashing with Silvano Martina: the captain’s temple was fractured in two places, and his heart even stopped for a few moments. Fiorentina’s then masseur, Ennio Raveggi, and the Genoa club doctor were the first on the scene to help the stricken Antognoni, who received mouth to mouth before undergoing surgery shortly afterwards. In terms of the game itself, Daniel Bertoni handed Fiorentina the lead on 24 minutes, only for Fabrizio Gorin to equalise 11 minutes later. Antognoni gave the Viola the lead from the spot on 52 minutes (three minutes before his injury), with Francesco Graziani making it 3-1 to Fiorentina in the 71st minute. Pasquale Iachini grabbed one back for Genoa on 82 minutes, but it was nothing more than a consolation. Antognoni would spend four months on the sidelines, returning in Fiorentina’s 1-0 win over Cesena in Week 23 on 21 March 1982.

4.    Florence was the host city for the Coppa Italia final on 17 June 1940, when Giuseppe Galluzzi’s Fiorentina beat Genoa 1-0 thanks to a goal from Mario Celoria in the first half. It was the Viola’s first-ever trophy and the first of six Coppa Italia titles so far. Genoa – or Genova 1893 Circolo del Calcio, to give them their full name at the time – have only won the cup once, though they do count nine Scudetto titles to their name.

5.    The last Fiorentina v Genoa match took place on the last day of the 2018/19 season, on 26 May 2019. It ended in a 0-0 draw, meaning both sides were saved from relegation. The Fiorentina v Genoa game of 7 May 1978 was also decisive in the race to avoid slipping into Serie B – that one ended in a 0-0 draw too. The only difference is that in that 1977/78 season Giuseppe Chiappella’s Fiorentina side avoided relegation on goal difference, while Gigi Simoni’s Genoa did end up going down.