Serie A has been turned on its head this season, with the race for the title and much of the top end of the table thrown wide open. That chaos may be typified by this match: Roma and Fiorentina, two teams that have spent time in first place this season sitting in a dead heat in third place in the league and with so much more potentially up for grabs.
Roma vs. Fiorentina 2016 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The third and final spot for Champions League qualification in Serie A is on the line in this match between two of the most interesting teams in Italy.
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Whichever team wins this match will be in sole possession of the last spot in Serie A that qualifies an Italian team for the Champions League, and will be able to put pressure on second-place Napoli after closing the gap to just two points. If Napoli’s current slide keeps up, Fiorentina or Roma could be able to pass them by in the table in very short order, raising the stakes considerably for this match. Neither team wants to let that chance pass them by, so expect both sides to put the pedal to the metal from first whistle to last.
Key player -- Mohamed Salah (Roma)
Salah had mixed results to the pressure when he faced Fiorentina earlier in the season, scoring against the team he closed the last campaign with before leaving in very controversial fashion before being sent off late in the match. Things broke down and he picked up two yellows in a matter of a few frustrated moments, a moment of chaos that effectively ended what had been a solid start to his season. That downslide lasted a long time, but his form finally picked up last month. Can he manage to play well against Fiorentina again, this time without the sending off and the slide in form? Roma fans can certainly hope.
Key matchup -- Lucas Digne (Roma) vs. Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina)
Digne has quietly been one of the best left backs in Italy this season, but he faces a stiff test on Friday against Bernardeschi. The Fiorentina youngster has been in wonderful form of late, helping Fiorentina start to push closer to the top of the table again. Fiorentina is much better with him playing this way because of the dynamism and options he brings to their attack -- and if Digne shuts him down, it’s going to make life really hard for Fiorentina to get something out of this match.
AS Roma injuries and suspensions
Out: Daniele de Rossi, Norbert Gyomber In Doubt: Miralem Pjanic, Radja Nainggolan, Leandro Castan, Salih Ucan
Fiorentina injuries and suspensions
Out: Maruo Zarate, Yohan Benalouane
Match Date/Time: Friday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
TV: beIN Sports (U.S.), Sky Calcio 1, Sky Sport 1 HD Italia (Italy), BT Sport Europe (U.K.)
Online: beIN Sports Connect, FuboTV (U.S.), Sky Go Italia (Italy), BT Sport Live Streaming (U.K.)
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