Close title race pits champions Inter against Fiorentina renaissance

(Reuters): Defending champions Inter Milan are locked in an extremely tight Serie A title battle, and they take on a rejuvenated Fiorentina on Sunday, one of the more unlikely Scudetto candidates.

Napoli, away to Torino on Sunday, top the standings but a chasing pack of Atalanta, Inter, Fiorentina and Lazio are just one point behind.

Fiorentina have not finished in the top four since 2015, ending the last two seasons in eighth place, but fans are now hoping for a return to Champions League football, if not more, under new coach Raffaele Palladino.

Palladino replaced Vincenzo Italiano, who left for Bologna, and after a slow start left some questioning whether the former Monza boss was up to the task, he has well and truly won Florence over.

One win in their opening six games left Fiorentina in the bottom half of the table, but a remarkable revival has brought seven successive victories.

Palladino's struggles came down to taking over a much-changed squad. Last weekend's 2-0 win at Como featured seven starters who were not at the club last season and another who barely figured.

Pietro Comuzzo, a product of Fiorentina's youth academy, played 39 minutes in the league last season, but the 19-year-old defender has started 11 games under Palladino.

While Comuzzo's performances earned him a call-up to the Italy squad, two new arrivals have been grabbing the headlines.

THE DAVID OF FLORENCE

Florence has a new David to rival Michelangelo's renaissance sculpture, with keeper David De Gea performing heroics against the Goliaths of Italian football.

De Gea, 34, left Manchester United when his contract ended last year and he spent over 12 months without a club before Palladino eased him back into action.

The Spaniard was on the bench for the opening three league games, but started in the Conference League qualifiers, saving a penalty in the shootout when Fiorentina overcame Puskas Akademia.

Now first choice, De Gea made two penalty saves in the 2-1 win over AC Milan, and several vital stops have kept Fiorentina's winning run alive, including a dramatic triple-save against Como.

KEAN TO IMPRESS

De Gea even has an assist to his name, setting up the first goal of Moise Kean's hat-trick in a 3-1 win over Hellas Verona. Kean, who failed to score in 20 appearances for Juventus last season, has netted seven goals in his last four league games.

Inter travel to Florence where they are undefeated in their last seven league visits while Fiorentina's last home win in this meeting came in 2017, and a draw may satisfy both sides at this stage of the season.

A Fiorentina victory, however, would have the city dreaming of a return to former glories, with the last of their two title wins coming a couple of months before the first man walked on the moon, back in 1969.

Lazio are at Parma on Sunday while Atalanta are away to AS Roma on Monday.

Juventus are the only unbeaten side in the league, but seven draws leaves them four points off the top in sixth and they travel to Lecce on Sunday.

AC Milan are seventh, and while they have played a game less, they are 10 points adrift of Napoli. They host Empoli on Saturday.