Fiorentina In Focus: Our Final Pre-Season Opponents

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Fiorentina In Focus: Our Final Pre-Season Opponents

Italian outfit Fiorentina are the visitors to King Power Stadium on Sunday as part of their build-up to the 25/26 campaign, aiming to push beyond last season’s sixth-place finish in Serie A.

2025-08-02T09:00+01:00

by Sam Stevens

Published

02 Aug, 2025

Fiorentina In Focus: Our Final Pre-Season Opponents

Italian outfit Fiorentina are the visitors to King Power Stadium on Sunday as part of their build-up to the 25/26 campaign, aiming to push beyond last season’s sixth-place finish in Serie A.

Sam Stevens

2025-08-02T09:00+01:00

Fiorentina In Focus: Our Final Pre-Season Opponents

Italian outfit Fiorentina are the visitors to King Power Stadium on Sunday as part of their build-up to the 25/26 campaign, aiming to push beyond last season’s sixth-place finish in Serie A.

Sam Stevens

2025-08-02T09:00+01:00

Fiorentina In Focus: Our Final Pre-Season Opponents

Italian outfit Fiorentina are the visitors to King Power Stadium on Sunday as part of their build-up to the 25/26 campaign, aiming to push beyond last season’s sixth-place finish in Serie A.

Sam Stevens

2025-08-02T09:00+01:00

Fiorentina In Focus: Our Final Pre-Season Opponents

Italian outfit Fiorentina are the visitors to King Power Stadium on Sunday as part of their build-up to the 25/26 campaign, aiming to push beyond last season’s sixth-place finish in Serie A.

Sam Stevens

2025-08-02T09:00+01:00

A club steeped in heritage, the Florence-based side are no strangers to European football. Having reached the UEFA Europa Conference League final in back-to-back seasons (22/23 and 23/24), they now begin their quest to return to the competition via the qualifying rounds. Tickets are still available for the game on Sunday too!

One of the most talked-about additions to their squad this summer is veteran forward Edin Džeko, who joins following a stint with Fenerbahçe. There’s further Premier League experience in the travelling party, including former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and Moise Kean, once of Everton.

Stefano Pioli is the man at the helm this term for Fiorentina.

Fiorentina have remained a staple of Italian football’s elite since rejoining Serie A in 2004. Comfortable pre-season victories against domestic sides have already set the tone, but sterner tests are just around the corner. A trio of matches against City, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United will challenge Stefano Pioli's group in quick succession – a valuable gauge of progress ahead of their league opener against Cagliari on 24 August.

Though still early in his tenure, Pioli brings extensive know-how from years of navigating Italy’s top flight. He’s unlikely to be fazed by the size of the task, nor the expectation of embedding his philosophy swiftly into a squad known for its tactical flexibility.

Brazilian Dodô is one of the visitors' key men.

Dodô, for instance, led the league last term in progressive carries (143) and added five direct goal involvements. He’s now joined by Robin Gosens, whose return brings added quality from wide areas – his 17 goal contributions last season included six in European competition.

Further strength lies in the middle of the park, where Fiorentina’s engine room features the likes of Amir Richardson, Rolando Mandragora and Nicolò Fagioli. Each offers a balance of composure, control and incisiveness, allowing the side to dictate play while remaining resolute off the ball.

Altogether, it makes for an intriguing challenge on Sunday – as a team still finding its rhythm but with real pedigree arrives in Leicester to provide a final summer challenge for Martí Cifuentes’ City.

Last time out – one past encounter

Roberto Mancini was in charge of Fiorentina just months after leaving Filbert Street.

Back in the summer of 2001, Leicester hosted Italian side Fiorentina for a glamour friendly at Filbert Street — a fixture that brought a touch of European flair to our pre-season preparations. The match arrived at a poignant time in the Club’s history, with the historic ground nearing the end of its era before the move to what is now King Power Stadium the following year.

For Fiorentina, Enrico Chiesa, one of Serie A’s standout forwards, featured prominently. Rui Costa had recently sealed a big move to AC Milan, but the Italians were still sprinkled with quality – and were managed on the day by a familiar face: Roberto Mancini, whose short stint with Leicester had ended only months before.

The game itself was anything but a gentle run-out. Both teams showed attacking intent, with plenty of chances and end-to-end play. Leicester fans were treated to a dazzling individual performance from Dean Sturridge, whose hat-trick ensured the hosts would more than hold their own in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Head-to-head – the Foxes vs. Italian opposition

AS Roma were our last Italian opponents in the 21/22 UEFA Europa Conference League.

Although we've only ever played Fiorentina once before, in another friendly, we have a growing record against Italian sides...

Anglo-Italian Tournament

Date	Venue	Team	Result	LCFC scorers
01/06/1972	A	Cagliari	0-1
04/06/1972	A	Atalanta	3-5	Weller, Sammels 2
07/06/1972	H	Cagliari	2-1	Weller, Nish
10/06/1972	H	Atalanta	6-0	Glover, Nish, Sammels, Weller 2, Farrington

Pre-season friendlies

Date	Venue	Team	Result	LCFC scorers
10/08/2001	H	Fiorentina	3-3	Sturridge 3
25/07/2005	H	Inter Milan	1-2	O'Grady (pen
28/07/2018	N	Udinese	1-2	Iheanacho
26/07/2024	N	Palermo	0-1

UEFA Europa League - Group C

Date	Venue	Team	Result	LCFC scorers
16/09/2021	H	Napoli	2-2	Pérez, Barnes
09/12/2021	A	Napoli	2-3	Evans, Dewsbury-Hall

UEFA Europa Conference League - Semi-Finals

Date	Venue	Team	Result	LCFC scorers
28/04/2022	H	AS Roma	1-1	Mancini (og)
28/04/2022	A	AS Roma	0-1

Tickets remain available for Sunday's friendly vs. Fiorentina - click HERE to be there!

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