Red Star Belgrade vs Fiorentina

Stadion Rajko Mitić plays host to an exciting summer friendly between Red Star Belgrade and Fiorentina.

Red Star Belgrade won their sixth successive Serbian SuperLiga title in a record-breaking fashion last season, steamrolling to the crown without a single loss in 37 league matches. Equally dominant at both ends of the field, the ‘Red-Whites’ averaged 2.59 goals per game while conceding only 19 at an average of 0.51! Despite their stellar domestic exploits, they have undergone a managerial shift this summer, with Barak Bakhar replacing title-winning coach Milos Milojevic at the helm. Bakhar’s early tenure has been a resounding success, as his men have won all six summer friendlies under his guidance by a combined score of 17-3, with a 2-1 victory over Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg in early July headlining this impressive run of results.

As for Fiorentina, a 3-0 victory over lower-league Italian side Catanzaro at the weekend helped the team bounce back from a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to West Ham United in last season’s Europa Conference League final. Vincenzo Italiano’s men started their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against second-tier Parma, which means they cannot take anything for granted. Indeed, ‘La Viola’ have blown hot and cold across their last seven matches (W3, D2, L2), six of which saw both teams on the scoresheet. And since five of those games also featured over 2.5 goals, connoisseurs of action-packed football will surely be looking forward to this encounter.