Riccardo Montolivo is confident Fiorentina can beat Milan to third place and shut the mouths of their "hasty critics."

If the Viola win Sunday's head-to-head by two clear goals, they will enter the Champions League without going through the preliminary round.

"How much do we believe we can do it? A lot! We've believed ever since last week straight after the 1-1 draw with Lecce," said the midfielder.

"We are relaxed and know that we have already achieved our objective, so anything more is a bonus and we have nothing to lose.

"It's a Final, which means previous results don't count for anything. We must not go out there in a rush, but rather just aiming to play our football and see what happens."

It is a world away from mid-season, when fans protested after their exit from the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

"Some critics were a little too hasty. We always believed, it was those outside who had doubts on us. In difficult moments like the losses to Lazio or Palermo, we never lost sight of our objective."

Montolivo has taken the step up to the Nazionale during his time at Fiorentina and has been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona.

"Such rumours are flattering, obviously, but I doubt Barca need a midfielder! In truth I don't listen to these stories and will stay at Fiorentina if they want me to.

"I wasn't always consistent this season, even within the same game, but I still consider myself satisfied with the campaign as a whole."