Prandelli unsettled by Debrecen danger

ACF Fiorentina may be favourites to secure a third straight UEFA Champions League Group E win when Debreceni VSC visit on Wednesday, but home coach Cesare Prandelli admits to concerns about the counterattacking threat of their Hungarian opponents. While Fiorentina could go six points clear of third-placed Liverpool FC with victory, Debrecen are yet to get off the mark, having lost 4-3 at home to Fiorentina a fortnight ago. With the visitors seeking the win they need to keep their hopes alive, coach András Herczeg promised to put on a show for their fans.

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina coach
I'm not very relaxed about the match, because most people will think it's going to be easy, but nothing is easy in football. We'll have to play well and get three points which are crucial for our Champions League campaign. I'm expecting Debrecen to play attacking football, so we'll have to be good in defence, and also keep the right balance. Debrecen are good with the ball and they're particularly dangerous on the break down the middle. They're a side who can cause you problems, but we're not afraid. We've overcome many problems over the past few years and this is the most important moment of them all, because we have a chance to keep the dream alive for our fans. I hope that at least one of our two injured players will be fit; most probably it won't be [Stevan] Jovetić, but [Adrian] Mutu might make it.

András Herczeg, Debrecen coach
We know that we will play a big team and it's important to go hard at this match. We examined the last game and have found our mistakes. Fiorentina are favourites to win, but it's important for us to play a good match and make a good impression in Italy. We had a good week training and we will face Fiorentina with heads up, trying to get a good result. We will play mainly for our supporters. In our group there are big teams that think they are playing easy matches against Debrecen, but we will try to make them hard. We are relaxed because we are a little team facing three great teams in Fiorentina, Liverpool and Lyon, but we would like to leave a positive impression with our supporters.

Weekend results
01/11/09 Fiorentina 3-1 Calcio Catania
(Marchionni 4 69, Gilardino 86; Mascara 48)

• The win – Fiorentina's first in five league matches – came despite Dario Dainelli's dismissal just before half-time. Having equalised, Catania were also reduced to ten men themselves on 59 minutes.

• Prandelli became Fiorentina's longest-serving coach against Catania, his 204th game surpassing a mark set by Fulvio Bernardini – the man who led the Viola to their first Scudetto in 1956.

30/10/09 Debrecen 1-2 Újpest FC
(Rudolf 17pen; Kabát 40pen 90+1pen)

• An added-time penalty, the fourth spot-kick of the match, condemned Debrecen to their second successive 1. Liga defeat. Having put András Herczeg's side ahead early on, Gergely Rudolf squandered the chance to double the lead when he missed his second penalty on 27 minutes.

• Debrecen had not lost back-to-back league matches since May 2004.

Team news
Fiorentina
Out: Cesare Natali (thigh), Stevan Jovetić (toe)
Doubtful: Adrian Mutu (knee)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Marco Donadel

• Jovetić missed the Catania match after injuring his toe in training.

Debrecen
Out: Róbert Feczesin (knee), Norbert Mészáros (rested)
Doubtful: none
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background
• Fiorentina's first experience of Hungarian opposition since 1966/67 was a positive one on Matchday 3, Adrian Mutu scoring twice as the Viola found the net four times in the first half in Budapest to run out 4-3 victors. The result leaves the Italian side with six points, three behind section leaders Olympique Lyonnais but three above Liverpool FC.

• Péter Czvitkovics scored Debrecen's first group-stage goal in the first game between the sides, yet the Hungarian champions have now lost all three Group E games.

• Hungarian sides have traditionally enjoyed little success in Italy down the years – recording two victories, four draws and 13 defeats on 19 previous visits.

Did you know?
Czvitkovics became the first Hungarian to score in the UEFA Champions League group stage in three years on Matchday 3. Roland Juhász, who hit RSC Anderlecht's goal in a 4-1 loss to AC Milan on 1 November 2006, was Czvitkovics's predecessor.

For more background on the match in the official press kit, click here.