Guingamp vs Fiorentina preview - Guingamp eye Europa lift

Posted Wednesday, November 26, 2014 by PA

Guingamp will set aside their French league failings and attempt to clinch a place in the Europa League knock-out stage on Thursday.

Fiorentina are the visitors to the Stade de Roudourou, and the Serie A side have already booked a place in the last 32.

A home victory would carry Guingamp through alongside them with a game to spare in Group K, if PAOK fail to win their away game against Dinamo Minsk.

In Ligue 1, however, Guingamp are mired in a dismal campaign in which they have won just four times and lost 10 games, going down 1-0 to neighbours Rennes in their last outing on Saturday.

Head coach Jocelyn Gourvennec, whose side are 19th in the 20-team league, said after the loss to Rennes: "We are disappointed. We were playing at home and this was a derby.

"To have lost 10 games so far is a lot."

Guingamp have collected seven points from four European games and are in second place, three points clear of PAOK. Minsk are bottom of the group with one point.

The trip to Italy to Fiorentina earlier in the season resulted in a 3-0 defeat for Guingamp, and the Florence side are unbeaten in their last eight European away matches.

The Italians have, however, struggled when playing on French soil, winning just one of their six games.

Fiorentina head into the contest in buoyant mood.

A 2-1 triumph at Hellas Verona on Sunday allowed Fiorentina to snap a two-game losing streak in Serie A and to climb to 10th place.

"I liked how my team played at Hellas, they showed a lot of maturity," Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We still have some problems to resolve but I'm optimistic and confident about the future."

The visitors are without captain Manuel Pasqual, who has been ruled out until next month with a thigh injury.

German striker Mario Gomez was not included in Fiorentina's travelling party for technical reasons.