Europa Conference League final preview: Close-fought encounter set to go the distance

Prague is the end of the road for what has been a much-needed run in the Europa Conference League for West Ham. Will they get over the line, or will Fiorentina bring European success back to Italy?

With European football’s third biggest game on the horizon, we preview the final match in what has been a brilliant Europa Conference League season.

Will The Hammers save their season with European success?

West Ham have had a lacklustre Premier League season, but avoiding relegation in aid of European success certainly wouldn’t have been bottom of their fans’ list of outcomes for the campaign, though they will be hoping their league sacrifices aren’t in vain.

With a 14th place finish in the Premier League, the Hammers secured their safety with just a couple of weeks to spare, and since then their focus has been on securing European success.

David Moyes’ side breezed through the Conference League group stage, winning six out of six, scoring 13 goals and conceding just four in the process to secure top spot in Group B, ahead of Anderlecht in second.

They didn’t struggle in the early knockout rounds as they cruised passed Cypriot side AEK Larnaca with an aggregate scoreline of 6-0, with Michail Antonio and Jarred Bowen leading the scoring with two goals each in the tie.

In the quarter-finals they faced what was expected to be a tougher opponent in KAA Gent, with the likes of star striker Gift Orban promising to pose a threat. The Hammers managed a 1-1 draw away to the Belgian side, a result which piled on the pressure for the second leg. West Ham however didn’t let the pressure tell as they ran out 4-1 winners at the London Stadium, as Michail Antonio added another two goals to his tally.

David Moyes’ side took the semi-final with a 3-1 aggregate score. After securing a 2-1 win at home in the first leg, Pablo Fornals scored late in injury time in the second leg to secure the Hammers’ place in the final.

With the final set to be West Ham’s toughest game yet, the Hammers are joint with their opponents at 17/20. Having scored in every knockout round so far, Michail Antonio sits second in the Conference League scoring charts with six, and the Jamaican international is 3/1 favourite to find the back of the net for his side in the final.

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Fiorentina out to secure final chance of European football

Having finished eighth in Serie A this season, the Europa Conference League final is Fiorentina’s last chance of securing European football for next season, something which is imperative for one of Italy’s biggest clubs.

Fiorentina fans will certainly not be disappointed with their side’s performance this season, with eighth in Serie A a respectable finish. They coupled this with a Coppa Italia final appearance, which they lost to Inter, and now have another chance to go all the way in a cup competition.

Vincenzo Italiano’s side didn’t struggle in the group stage but certainly didn’t coast through it with the same ease as their opponents, qualifying as runners-up in Group A, level on points with İstanbul Başakşehir, having lost to the Turkish side in their second group game.

The Italian side found their first match in the knockout phase easier as they cruised past Portuguese side Braga 7-2 on aggregate. Brazilian forward Arthur Cabral was the pick of the bunch as he netted three times in the tie.

Fiorentina thrashed Turkish side Sivasspor 5-1 on aggregate, following up a 1-0 home win in the first leg with an emphatic 4-1 away victory in the second leg to wrap up the tie in some fashion.

They faced Polish side Lech Poznan in the quarterfinals and the goals kept flowing as they took the first leg 4-1, with a 3-2 loss away from home enough to see them in to the semi-finals.

The semi-final stage proved to be the toughest for Fiorentina as FC Basel inflicted a 2-1 home defeat on the Italian side. Fiorentina had it all to do in Basel, and after managing go make it to extra time, I Viola found the back of the net in the ninth minute of added time in extra-time to progress through to the final.

Arthur Cabral has been at the forefront of their success, sitting top of the Conference League goalscoring charts with seven to his name, and the Brazilian is the most likely to get his name on the scoresheet for his side at 14/5 to score anytime. Fiorentina are also 17/20 to lift the trophy, joint with their opponents, and the even nature of the odds reflects the fact that this promises to be a close fought affair which, similar to many of the finals we’ve seen this season, could go the distance.

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