We’ve put together a few facts and figures on this weekend’s clash with a bit of help from our friends at the Fiorentina Museum.
1. Head to heads
Fiorentina have hosted Torino 78 times in Florence in competitive fixtures.
71 of those meetings have come in Serie A (W33, D29, L9; 107 goals scored, 61 conceded), with just one in Serie B (5 June 2004, 1-0 to the Viola courtesy of Mattia Graffiedi’s penalty).
There have also been six Coppa Italia encounters in Florence, with four Fiorentina wins, one draw and one defeat, 15 goals for and six against.
The total tallies from all 78 meetings read W38, D30, L10, with 123 scored and 67 conceded.
2. No fun for fans
While there may be rivalry on the pitch, games between Fiorentina and Torino are an opportunity for the supporters to come together and celebrate, as the two sets of fans have long been twinned. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic means that the Florence-based meet-up has had to be cancelled twice in as many months (the 2019/20 fixture was played in July).
3. First and last time out
The first-ever match-up between these two sides dates back to 25 October 1931, in Week 6 of the 1931/32 Serie A campaign. Fiorentina won 4-2 on that occasion, with Antonio Busini, Gastone Prendato, Pedro Petrone and Raffaele Rivolo netting for the Viola and Gino Rossetti and Luigi Cabrini for Torino.
The most recent meeting ended 2-0 to the Viola on 19 July. A Lyanco own goal set Beppe Iachini’s side on their way before Patrick Cutrone sealed the points 15 minutes from time.
4. Dream start for Viola academy product
This is the fourth time Torino and Fiorentina have faced off in the first game of the season. Two of those were played in Turin (one draw and one win for the hosts) and one in Florence, on 27 August 1995.
Everyone’s money was on Gabriel Omar Batistuta being the match-winner that day after he topped the Serie A goalscoring charts the previous season (26 goals in 32 games). Instead it was a youngster from the Viola youth academy, Giacomo Banchelli, who made the headlines by netting both goals in a 2-0 win.
Banchelli, despite being behind Batistuta and Francesco Baiano in the pecking order, went on to make 16 appearances that season, scoring four goals – all at home. His third came in a 6-4 win over Padova on 6 April 1996 while his fourth earned three points for the Viola a fortnight later against Emiliano Mondonico’s Atalanta.
5. Four in one
Fiorentina’s 4-1 victory over Torino on 22 January 1984 is remembered as a somewhat remarkable result because the Viola managed to put four goals past what was by far the meanest defence in the league at the time. The Granata had let in just eight goals in their first 16 matches (leaders Juventus had conceded 16, second-place Roma 14, and Fiorentina and Verona in joint third 17) but that day goalkeeper Giuliano Terraneo found himself picking the ball out of the net four times in 90 minutes. Paolo Monelli and Daniel Bertoni grabbed a brace apiece, with Patricio Hernandez replying for Torino.