2026–2027 Preseason Friendlies: QPR vs. Fiorentina—Probable Lineups

This marks the third match of the season for Fabio Grosso’s new Fiorentina squad, which—following last Sunday’s 8-1 rout of the Primavera team and Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Gubbio—flew to London to play a friendly against QPR, a team competing in the Championship (England’s second division) at Loftus Road. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. local time, 4 p.m. in Italy.

Queens Park Rangers have already played three matches, without losing a single one: a 0-0 draw against First Vienna, a 3-1 win over Wiener Neustadt, and a 1-0 victory against Wycombe. The Hoops are on the eve of their twelfth consecutive season in the second tier of English soccer: their last appearance in the Premier League dates back to the 2014–2015 season, while last year the team coached by Julien Stephan (who remains in charge this season) finished in 15th place out of 24 teams.

Fiorentina will use the match in London as another opportunity to sharpen their skills ahead of a season in which the club aims to bounce back from last season’s struggles. The friendly schedule is packed and includes a match against Watford on July 29, a prestigious clash with Real Madrid on August 1, a game against Deportivo A Coruña on August 6, and a match against Modena on August 8. There are several new faces, in addition to the new head coach: in this regard, there is great anticipation for Arthur Atta, who is joining from Udinese.

Probable lineups

QPR (4-2-3-1): Salamon; Mbengue, Dunne, Edwards, Kemper; Alemayehu, Madsen; Smyth, Vale, Chair; Burrell. Coach: Stephan.

FIORENTINA (4-3-3): De Gea; Dodô, Dragusin, Ranieri, Fortini; Mandragora, Ndour, Brescianini; Atta, Piccoli, Gudmundsson. Coach: Grosso.