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In-form Gomez wants to continue inspiring Fiorentina

By Jacopo Lo Monaco

ROME (Reuters) - It has already been a very good year for Mario Gomez and the in-form striker is aiming to extend his excellent goalscoring form as Fiorentina career prepare to fight on multiple fronts.

The Germany striker looked to be stuck in the wilderness following his move from Bayern Munich in 2013 with persistent knee injuries hampering his debut season in Italy and he was left out of his country's squad for the 2014 World Cup.

But the fit-again 29-year-old is showing signs of rediscovering the predatory touch that saw him finish the season with 41 goals in all competitions for Munich three years ago.

In nine Fiorentina games so far in 2015 Gomez has scored six goals, helping Vincenzo Montella's squad move from eighth to fifth in Serie A, six points back from third-placed Napoli and a chance to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"I knew I was not done and I wanted to show Fiorentina that I could help them," Gomez said of his injury-plagued first season with the club.

"The fans have always been behind me because they understood, right from the start, how eager I was to play."

Gomez was crucial in Thursday's Europa League game against Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, scoring the opening goal and creating the second for Mohamed Salah as Fiorentina reached the last-16 where they will face Italian rivals AS Roma.

The striker has already been a nightmare for Roma defenders this year as he netted a brace in Fiorentina's 2-0 away win in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and scored the lone goal in their league draw back in January.

Fiorentina visit in-form Inter Milan on Sunday, with their hosts having won three consecutive games and moving up to eighth, four points behind Fiorentina.

"It'll be a tough game. After changing managers they needed time to get to know him (new manager Roberto Mancini) but now they are playing well. I just hope we'll be better," Gomez said.

An even tougher opponent awaits Fiorentina as they face Serie A leader Juventus away on Wednesday in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals.

"We are fighting with Roma (Europa League), Juventus (Coppa Italia) and Napoli (third place in the league); they are the three best teams in Italy. If we want to win, we have to beat the best."

(Editing by Sam Holden)