Europa Conference League: Fiorentina and West Ham Fight for a Place in History

Fiorentina vs West Ham United

Fiorentina and West Ham United are going to battle for all the marbles in the Europa Conference League final at the Eden Arena in Prague on Wednesday night.

Opportunities like these only come once in a blue moon for these two teams, and the team that wins will get to bring home only their second major European trophy in their history.

After finishing second in Group A, Fiorentina had to go through the knockout round playoffs. However, they steamrolled their way to the final, eliminating Braga, Sivasspor, Lech Poznan, and Basel in the knockouts.

West Ham United, meanwhile, went undefeated in Group B, and they beat AEK Larnaca, Gent, and AZ Alkmaar to get to this point.

The pre-game SBOTOP betting odds predict a tight affair between these two sides, so football fans should expect nothing less with so much on the line.

Talking Points

Fiorentina have a frontline dilemma

Fiorentina have looked particularly impressive in the Europa Conference League this season, particularly in the final third, as they outscored their opponents 22-10 en route to the final.

Arthur Cabral is leading the tournament’s Golden Boot race with seven goals, alongside Basel’s Zeki Amdouni. If he scores again on Wednesday, Cabral will be the solo winner of the award.

Luka Jovic, Nicolas Gonzalez, and Antonin Barak have also produced Europa Conference League 2023 highlights this season, as Jovic has six goals, while Gonzalez and Barak have five goals each.

In their past few games, Vincenzo Italiano has taken turns installing either Luka Jovic or Arthur Cabral as their lead striker. Both of them have done well so far, so it’ll be interesting to see who Italiano goes with on Wednesday.

Or maybe he can consider having the two of them together up front, although they play much better in a 4-2-3-1 formation, especially with Sofyan Amrabat, a key cog in Morocco’s 2022 World Cup run, playing as their pivot man.

Reports from Italy claim that Italiano has emerged as a candidate to be Napoli’s next manager following the news that Luciano Spalletti is taking a year off from coaching.

If Italiano gets the job in Naples, then winning the Europa Conference League will be a fitting end to his La Viola stint.

Is this Moyes and Antonio’s final West Ham United match?

Despite escaping relegation this season, West Ham United are back to considering relieving David Moyes of his head coaching duties this summer, which adds to the pressure on the manager before Wednesday’s clash.

Moreover, reports from England claim that Michail Antonio, their top scorer this season with 13 goals, is pushing for an exit from East London this summer.

However, if West Ham United win on Wednesday, perhaps Antonio will think twice about leaving the club, and Moyes might get to stay at the helm for at least one more year.

Antonio, who might be playing his final match for the Hammers like Moyes, should continue to lead up front on Wednesday, with Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma backing him up on the wings.

Tomas Soucek was given the night off against Leicester City, so he should rejoin Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta in midfield.

History

Wednesday marks the first time that Fiorentina and West Ham United face off, let alone in a European tournament.

Fiorentina and West Ham United won their only European trophies during the 1960s. La Viola were the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup victors during the 1960-61 campaign, while the Hammers won the same exact award four seasons later.

In terms of recent form, Fiorentina have the edge with three wins, one draw, and a loss, while West Ham United have lost three times and won twice in the same five-game stretch.

Both of these teams missed out on European spots from their domestic leagues, so the winner here will get to qualify for next season.

Betting Tip

The Europa Conference League 2023 odds have given West Ham United a slight edge in the 1X2 market. The Hammers are priced at 2.57 to win, but their margin for error is small because Fiorentina are at 2.73 and a draw is at 3.10.

Because this is a tough match to call, we will take a look at the possible goal count for this match, and we feel that Total Goal 2-3 is your best bet considering the collective attacking quality from these two sides.

You might also want to consider going for Over 2.50 at 2.23, while Correct Score 1-1 at 5.00 is also offering a generous payout.

 

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