Khouma Babacar
Khouma Babacar has to be on top form if they are to emerge victorious against AC Milan.Reuters

Fiorentina and AC Milan are huge names in the Serie A, and when such quality teams are in action, one expects cracker of a contest. The two teams are set to face one another in the crucial Serie A fixture at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday.

As soon as the Serie A 2016-17 fixtures were announced, Fiorentina were one of the unfortunate teams as they had tough matches in the initial stage of the competition. After their loss in the opening day against Juventus, they have been decent so far. 

Fiorentina have defeated teams like Chievo and Roma, and drew against Udinese. The Italian club will hope to continue their impressive form against AC Milan, which is not going to be any easy.

Fiorentina showed some great fighting spirit in their last match against Udinese, coming from behind to secure that draw. It is such traits that makes them a solid team, but they will have to play an even more solidly against Milan. Fiorentina have the ammunition to deliver in front of their home fans, and Khouma Babacar and Federico Bernardeschi have to shine offensively for the club.

Fiorentina's opponents Milan come into this match as a confident unit. They might have lost two of their first three matches, but the team came back with a bang, defeating teams like Sampdoria and Lazio in their last two fixtures.

But Milan are aware of the need to play some competitive football against Fiorentina, who have it in them to defeat any team in the competition. Manager Vincenzo Montella wants to see his team improve in each outing.

"The two wins are in the past, we are now focused on the match against the Viola which will be a very important test for us. We have to keep improving. These matches can be tricky but I want the boys to go onto the pitch with a high-profile approach," AC Milan's official website quoted Montella as saying.

AC Milan have a strong offencive line, including players like M'Baye Niang and Carlos Bacca. Montella believes his forward line has it in them to improve much more.

"Niang is playing very well, although he can still improve a lot. To step it up a level he has to understand how to handle the 90 minutes. Bacca? Carlos is improving in interpreting the match. We have a top quality forward line, and they are all young. Suso and Niang can still improve a lot," Montella said.

Serie A match schedule

Fiorentina vs AC Milan is scheduled to kick off at 8.45 pm local time (12.15 am IST, 2.45 pm EST. 7:45 pm BST).

Where to watch live

INDIA: TV: Sony ESPN HD. Live streaming: Sony Liv

ITALY: TV: Sky Sport 1 HD Italia. Live streaming: Sky Go Italia

UK: TV: BT Sport 2. Live streaming: BT Sport Live

USA: TV: Bein Sports USA, RAI International. Live streaming: Bein Sports Connect