1996–97 AC Fiorentina season

Associazione Calcio Fiorentina did not manage to repeat its spectacular 1995–96 season, and did not win any trophies the following year. A relatively meagre goalscoring season from superstar Gabriel Batistuta was one of the reasons for the declining performance, for which head coach Claudio Ranieri was sacked at the end of the season. The highlight of Fiorentina's season was reaching the semi-finals of the Cup Winners' Cup, where it lost to Barcelona 2–0 at the Camp Nou, following a 1–1 draw in Florence.

Fiorentina

1996–97 season
President	Vittorio Cecchi Gori
Manager	Claudio Ranieri
Stadium	Stadio Artemio Franchi
Serie A	9th
Supercoppa Italiana	Winners
Coppa Italia	Round of 16
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	Semi-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Gabriel Batistuta (13) All: Gabriel Batistuta (19)
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Players

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	GK	ITA	Francesco Toldo
—	GK	ITA	Alessandro Zandonà
—	GK	ITA	Gianmatteo Mareggini
—	GK	ITA	Mattia Passarini
—	DF	ITA	Daniele Carnasciali
—	DF	ITA	Michele Serena
—	DF	ITA	Lorenzo Amoruso
—	DF	ITA	Aldo Firicano
—	DF	ITA	Giulio Falcone
—	DF	ITA	Vittorio Pusceddu
—	DF	ITA	Pasquale Padalino
—	DF	ITA	Daniele Chiarini
—	MF	ITA	Giovanni Piacentini
—	MF	SWE	Stefan Schwarz

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	POR	Rui Costa
—	MF	ITA	Danilo Stefani
—	MF	ITA	Sandro Cois
—	MF	ITA	Roberto Mirri
—	MF	ITA	Massimo Orlando
—	MF	ITA	Emiliano Bigica
—	MF	RUS	Andrei Kanchelskis
—	MF	ITA	Mirko Benin
—	FW	ITA	Francesco Baiano
—	FW	ARG	Gabriel Batistuta
—	FW	BEL	Luís Oliveira
—	FW	ITA	Marco Vendrame
—	FW	ITA	Anselmo Robbiati
—	FW	ITA	Andrea Mussi

Transfers

In
Pos.	Name	from	Type
FW	Luis Oliveira	Cagliari Calcio
DF	Aldo Firicano	Cagliari Calcio
DF	Vittorio Pusceddu	Cagliari Calcio
DF	Giulio Falcone	Torino F.C.
MF	Danilo Stefani	Maceratese

Out
Pos.	Name	To	Type
FW	Giacomo Banchelli	Cagliari Calcio
DF	Andrea Sottil	Atalanta B.C.
DF	Alberto Malusci	Olympique Marseille
DF	Alessandro Orlando	Udinese Calcio
MF	Christian Amoroso	Empoli F.C.	loan
MF	Cristiano Zanetti	Venezia F.C.

Winter

In
Pos.	Name	from	Type
MF	Andrei Kanchelskis	Everton F.C.

Out
Pos.	Name	To	Type
FW	Francesco Flachi	A.S. Bari

Competitions

Supercoppa Italiana

Main article: 1996 Supercoppa Italiana

Milan v Fiorentina

25 August 1996	Milan	1–2	Fiorentina	Milan
20:30 CEST (UTC+02:00)	Savićević 22'		Batistuta 12', 38'	Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 29,582 Referee: Fiorenzo Treossi

Serie A

Main article: 1996–97 Serie A

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
7	Bologna	34	13	10	11	50	44	+6	49
8	Vicenza	34	12	11	11	43	38	+5	47	Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup
9	Fiorentina	34	10	15	9	46	41	+5	45
10	Atalanta	34	11	11	12	44	46	−2	44
11	Milan	34	11	10	13	43	45	−2	43

Source: Serie A, RSSSF.com, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Head-to-head points; 3) Head-to-head goal difference; 4) Goal difference; 5) Goals scored; 6) Draw. (Note: Head-to-head record is used only after all the matches between the teams in question have been played).

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
34	10	15	9	46	41	+5	45	9	6	2	28	14	+14	1	9	7	18	27	−9

Last updated: 25 July 2015.
Source: Competitive matches

Position by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Ground	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A
Result	L	D	W	L	D	W	W	D	D	D	D	W	L	W	W	D	D	L	D	L	D	L	W	L	W	D	D	W	D	L	L	D	W	D
Position	11	13	10	12	12	11	6	7	9	10	9	6	10	7	5	5	6	9	9	11	10	12	9	11	10	9	8	8	9	10	10	10	9	9

Source: Competitive matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss; P = Postponed;   = Leader, 1997–98 UEFA Champions League Group stage;   = 1997–98 UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying round;   = 1997–98 UEFA Cup First round;   = 1997–98 Serie B

Matches

Fiorentina v Vicenza

8 September 1996 1	Fiorentina	2–4	Vicenza	Florence
	Sartor 36' (o.g.) Oliveira 80'	Report	Otero 8', 29', 67', 90' (pen.)	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Daniele Tombolini

Atalanta v Fiorentina

15 September 1996 2	Atalanta	2–2	Fiorentina	Bergamo
	Inzaghi 56' (pen.), 62'	Report	Oliveira 15' Batistuta 81'	Stadium: Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Referee: Robert Anthony Boggi

Fiorentina v Hellas Verona

22 September 1996 3	Fiorentina	2–0	Hellas Verona	Florence
	Robbiati 6' Batistuta 49' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Salvatore Racalbuto

Juventus v Fiorentina

29 September 1996 4	Juventus	1–0	Fiorentina	Turin
	Padovano 9'	Report		Stadium: Stadio delle Alpi Referee: Fiorenzo Treossi

Fiorentina v Lazio

12 October 1996 5	Fiorentina	0–0	Lazio	Florence
		Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Domenico Messina

Bologna v Fiorentina

20 October 1996 6	Bologna	0–2	Fiorentina	Bologna
		Report	Batistuta 44' De Marchi 80' (o.g.)	Stadium: Stadio Renato Dall'Ara Referee: Graziano Cesari

Fiorentina v Milan

27 October 1996 7	Fiorentina	1–0	Milan	Florence
	Robbiati 84'	Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Alfredo Trentalange

Parma v Fiorentina

3 November 1996 8	Parma	0–0	Fiorentina	Parma
		Report		Stadium: Stadio Ennio Tardini Referee: Stefano Farina

Internazionale v Fiorentina

16 November 1996 9	Internazionale	2–2	Fiorentina	Milan
	Ganz 50' Ince 83'	Report	Oliveira 44', 64'	Stadium: San Siro Referee: Livio Bazzoli

Fiorentina v Piacenza

24 November 1996 10	Fiorentina	1–1	Piacenza	Florence
	Robbiati 26'	Report	Luiso 64' (pen.)	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Angelo Bonfrisco

Roma v Fiorentina

1 December 1996 11	Roma	3–3	Fiorentina	Rome
	Balbo 15' (pen.) Delvecchio 72' Totti 87'	Report	Rui Costa 22' Batistuta 31', 75'	Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Referee: Pierluigi Collina

Fiorentina v Perugia

8 December 1996 12	Fiorentina	4–1	Perugia	Florence
	Batistuta 48' Rui Costa 62' Oliveira 86' Rocco 90' (o.g.)	Report	Gautieri 56'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Robert Anthony Boggi

Udinese v Fiorentina

15 December 1996 13	Udinese	2–0	Fiorentina	Udine
	Amoroso 19', 29'	Report		Stadium: Stadio Friuli Referee: Roberto Bettin

Fiorentina v Cagliari

22 December 1996 14	Fiorentina	2–0	Cagliari	Florence
	Batistuta 65' Robbiati 82'	Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Giancarlo Lana

Fiorentina v Napoli

5 January 1997 15	Fiorentina	3–0	Napoli	Florence
	Colonnese 50' (o.g.) Oliveira 54' Robbiati 90'	Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto

Reggiana v Fiorentina

12 January 1997 16	Reggiana	0–0	Fiorentina	Reggio Emilia
		Report		Stadium: Stadio Giglio Referee: Alfredo Trentalange

Fiorentina v Sampdoria

19 January 1997 17	Fiorentina	1–1	Sampdoria	Florence
	Batistuta 31' (pen.)	Report	Franceschetti 89'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Pierluigi Collina

Vicenza v Fiorentina

26 January 1997 18	Vicenza	3–2	Fiorentina	Vicenza
	Otero 1' Murgita 37' Ambrosetti 57'	Report	Padalino 22' Batistuta 65'	Stadium: Stadio Romeo Menti Referee: Salvatore Racalbuto

Fiorentina v Atalanta

2 February 1997 19	Fiorentina	0–0	Atalanta	Florence
		Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Gianni Beschin

Hellas Verona v Fiorentina

16 February 1997 20	Hellas Verona	2–1	Fiorentina	Verona
	Falcone 1' (o.g.) Manetti 90'	Report	Batistuta 7'	Stadium: Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi Referee: Cosimo Bolognino

Fiorentina v Juventus

23 February 1997 21	Fiorentina	1–1	Juventus	Florence
	Robbiati 90'	Report	Del Piero 15'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Livio Bazzoli

Lazio v Fiorentina

1 March 1997 22	Lazio	1–0	Fiorentina	Rome
	Negro 90'	Report		Stadium: Stadio Olimpico Referee: Gennaro Borriello

Fiorentina v Bologna

9 March 1997 23	Fiorentina	3–2	Bologna	Florence
	Baiano 19' (pen.) Batistuta 61' Robbiati 79'	Report	Andersson 2' Firicano 25' (o.g.)	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Pasquale Rodomonti

Milan v Fiorentina

15 March 1997 24	Milan	2–0	Fiorentina	Milan
	Desailly 62' Albertini 90' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: San Siro Referee: Robert Anthony Boggi

Fiorentina v Parma

23 March 1997 25	Fiorentina	1–0	Parma	Florence
	Thuram 34' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Domenico Messina

Fiorentina v Internazionale

5 April 1997 26	Fiorentina	0–0	Internazionale	Florence
		Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Graziano Cesari

Piacenza v Fiorentina

13 April 1997 27	Piacenza	1–1	Fiorentina	Piacenza
	Luiso 66'	Report	Amoruso 56'	Stadium: Stadio Leonardo Garilli Referee: Gianni Beschin

Fiorentina v Roma

19 April 1997 28	Fiorentina	2–1	Roma	Florence
	Robbiati 7' Petruzzi 36' (o.g.)	Report	Balbo 77'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Stefano Farina

Perugia v Fiorentina

4 May 1997 29	Perugia	1–1	Fiorentina	Perugia
	Pizzi 89' (pen.)	Report	Robbiati 90'	Stadium: Stadio Renato Curi Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto

Fiorentina v Udinese

11 May 1997 30	Fiorentina	2–3	Udinese	Florence
	Padalino 5' Baiano 21'	Report	Amoroso 2', 60' (pen.) Pierini 82'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Gennaro Borriello

Cagliari v Fiorentina

15 May 1997 31	Cagliari	4–1	Fiorentina	Cagliari
	Muzzi 14' Darío Silva 35' Lønstrup 37', 45'	Report	Oliveira 34'	Stadium: Stadio Sant'Elia Referee: Domenico Messina

Napoli v Fiorentina

18 May 1997 32	Napoli	2–2	Fiorentina	Naples
	Aglietti 67' Esposito 83'	Report	Oliveira 8', 40'	Stadium: Stadio San Paolo Referee: Roberto Bettin

Fiorentina v Reggiana

25 May 1997 33	Fiorentina	3–0	Reggiana	Florence
	Batistuta 7', 62' Robbiati 18'	Report		Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Referee: Pierangelo Pin

Sampdoria v Fiorentina

1 June 1997 34	Sampdoria	1–1	Fiorentina	Genoa
	Montella 37'	Report	Robbiati 23'	Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris Referee: Lorenzo Branzoni

Coppa Italia

Main article: 1996–97 Coppa Italia

Final phase

Bologna v Fiorentina

23 October 1996	Bologna	3–1	Fiorentina	Bologna
	Magoni 16' Paramatti 61' Scapolo 71'		Orlando 35'	Stadium: Stadio Renato Dall'Ara Referee: Pierluigi Pairetto

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Main article: 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

First round

Gloria Bistriţa v Fiorentina

12 September 1996 First leg	Gloria Bistriţa	1–1	Fiorentina	Bistrița, Romania
	Lazăr 3'		Batistuta 47'	Stadium: Stadionul Gloria Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Christer Fällström (Sweden)

Fiorentina v Gloria Bistriţa

26 September 1996 Second leg	Fiorentina	1–0 (2–1 agg.)	Gloria Bistriţa	Florence, Italy
	Orlando 22'			Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 18,607 Referee: Ladislav Gádoši (Slovakia)

Second round

Fiorentina v Sparta Prague

17 October 1996 First leg	Fiorentina	2–1	Sparta Prague	Florence, Italy
	Batistuta 5' Schwarz 56'		Siegl 80'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 22,400 Referee: Serge Muhmenthaler (Switzerland)

Sparta Prague v Fiorentina

31 October 1996 Second leg	Sparta Prague	1–1 (2–3 agg.)	Fiorentina	Prague, Czech Republic
	Lokvenc 4'		Robbiati 63'	Stadium: Stadion Letná Attendance: 16,021 Referee: David Elleray (England)

Quarter-finals

Benfica v Fiorentina

6 March 1997 First leg	Benfica	0–2	Fiorentina	Lisbon, Portugal
			Baiano 45' Batistuta 90'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 20,000 Referee: Hellmut Krug (Germany)

Fiorentina v Benfica

20 March 1997 Second leg	Fiorentina	0–1 (2–1 agg.)	Benfica	Florence, Italy
			Edgar 22'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 35,071 Referee: Mario van der Ende (Netherlands)

Semi-finals

Barcelona v Fiorentina

10 April 1997 First leg	Barcelona	1–1	Fiorentina	Barcelona, Spain
	Nadal 42'		Batistuta 62'	Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 105,000 Referee: Bernd Heynemann (Germany)

Fiorentina v Barcelona

24 April 1997 Second leg	Fiorentina	0–2 (1–3 agg.)	Barcelona	Florence, Italy
			Couto 30' Guardiola 35'	Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Anders Frisk (Sweden)

Statistics

Players statistics

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Serie A		Coppa		UEFA
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	ITA	Toldo	32	-40	32	-40
2	DF	ITA	Carnasciali	20	0	20	0
5	DF	ITA	Amoruso	23	1	21+2	1
17	DF	ITA	Pusceddu	28	0	21+7	0
19	DF	ITA	Padalino	21	2	20+1	2
16	DF	ITA	Falcone	31	0	27+4	0
7	MF	SWE	Schwarz	24	0	24	0
14	MF	ITA	Cois	25	0	20+5	0
10	MF	POR	Rui Costa	28	2	28	2
9	FW	ARG	Batistuta	32	12	32	12
11	FW	BEL	Oliveira	31	9	28+3	9
22	GK	ITA	Mareggini	2	-1	2	-1
23	FW	ITA	Robbiati	30	11	18+12	11
6	DF	ITA	Firicano	18	0	17+1	0
4	MF	ITA	Piacentini	23	0	15+8	0
3	DF	ITA	Serena	14	0	14	0
20	MF	ITA	Bigica	17	0	12+5	0
8	FW	ITA	Baiano	21	2	9+12	2
32	MF	RUS	Kanchelskis	9	0	9	0
18	MF	ITA	Orlando	16	0	3+13	0
21	MF	ITA	Vendrame	2	0	1+1	0
29	MF	ITA	Benin	1	0	1	0
13	MF	ITA	Stefani	2	0	0+2	0
31	DF	ITA	Chiarini	1	0	0+1	0
12	GK	ITA	Zandona	0	0	0	0
	GK	ITA	Passarini
	MF	ITA	Mirri	0	0	0	0
	FW	ITA	Mussi

• Source: http://calcio-seriea.net/allenatori_squadra/1996/1110/

Goalscorers

• Gabriel Batistuta 13 (2)
• Anselmo Robbiati 12
• Luís Oliveira 9