West Ham United plays Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday, with tens of thousands of Hammers set to party in Prague. The English Premier League outfit stands on the cusp of a place in the history books when meeting the Serie A giants for the first time. Will the Hammers get their hands on UEFA’s third-tier trophy, or will Fiorentina bank their first European silverware since 1961?
David Moyes’ team lost four of their last six league games as they slipped to a bitterly disappointing 14th-place finish, ending just two wins better than Leicester City and the relegation zone. In Italy, The Purples have been on fire in recent weeks, unbeaten in their last four games, taking ten points from a possible dozen. Wednesday’s final comes at the best time for Fiorentina, and fans will dream of signing off with a European trophy. Doing so would provide a cash injection that could be used to help build on their eighth place.
The stat sheet shows these teams have never met in competitive action, but recent results prove they are in the final on merit. West Ham scored three goals in the previous round, while Fiorentina bagged four, sparking predictions of a goal-filled final. Follow the match live on television from 20:00 GMT after reading the professional opinion of our football writer Frankie Monkhouse.
Hammers edge Alkmaar
West Ham fans suffered the pain of watching their side drop out of the Europa League at the semi-final stage 12 months ago. The Londoners were beaten by German outfit Eintracht Frankfurt who eventually beat Rangers in the final on penalties. David Moyes and his men used the pain of that near-miss as motivation for their Conference League bit and to great affect. The historic club are back contesting major honours and many pundits expect the English club to deliver in the deciding match.
But West Ham’s preparation has been far from ideal with club manager Moyes linked with a move away from Stratford. As Ange Postecoglou prepares to swap Scottish Premiership champions Celtic for English Premier League under-achievers Tottenham, that leaves a gap at Parkhead. Could the void be filled by Scotland’s Moyes and would be be drawn home by the chance of managing the nation’s treble winners? He isn’t eager to engage on that issue, but the uncertainty can’t be good for team morale.
Bet hereWe last saw West Ham in Conference League action when beating Dutch club AZ Alkmaar 1-0 in the semi-final second leg in the Netherlands. A goal from Fornals deep into stoppage time ensured the EPL representatives won home and away, collecting a 3-1 aggregate win and that hard-earned place in the final. There’s just one hurdle between the East Londoners and glory meaning character is worth as much as skill at this stage.
Purples edge a seven-goal thriller
While the same can’t be said for their opponents, Fiorentina have made their way to the final while flying under the radar. The Serie A side has gone about its business without attracting fanfare or making too much noise. But that takes nothing away from their efforts in this competition and it would come as no surprise if the Italians were to end as Conference League winners. They have the skill, form and strength to kick-off Wednesday’s game with confidence, but their generous defence needs improvement.
In the semi-final, Fiorentina battled to a breath-taking 4-3 aggregate win over FC Basel last month in a tie that swung back and forth. They lost the first leg at home and many pundits predicted that would spell the end for The Purples, but they surprised everyone with a determined performance on the road, winning 3-1 in Basel to sneak through in a high-scoring tie. That will give the attack encouragement but the coaching staff must work on patching up that leaky backline.
Fiorentina played its final league game on Friday, beating Sassuolo 3-1 away from home to end the campaign on a high. They claimed six points from their last two games, suggesting next season could bring even more success for a support that has been starved of glory in recent years. A top-eight finish in Serie A and European winners medal could be just the tonic Fiorentina needs to relive the glory days.
West Ham v Fiorentina prediction
West Ham have been poor in the Premier League and finished much lower in the table than fans had hoped. They didn’t enjoy the same domestic success as last term when competing for a top-four finish and place in the Champions League, but have been every bit as ambitious on the continent and West Ham being crowned champions is a real possibility. This final could be decided by which team has the better defence.
Fiorentina travel to Prague hoping to take their recent strong form into Wednesday’s final. They enjoy the confidence that comes from a winning run and overturning a first leg home defeat in the semi-finals against a strong Basel team would’ve done wonders for team morale, giving the players a belief this is their year.
Conference League odds
22bet members can make predictions and place bets on this game with some eye-catching markets and generous odds available. Support West Ham to win at 2.67 or play Fiorentina at 2.75. Can’t split them? The draw will net you 3.18.
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