UEFA Conference League Finals Odds, Preview: Rare Meeting
Route to Europa League for Fiorentina and West Ham
Rare Meeting Between the Two Sides
Neither Fiorentina nor West Ham managed to qualify for Europe through their respective leagues. Still, the winner of next Wednesday’s UEFA Europa Conference League final will book a spot in next season’s UEFA Europa League. This is quite a rare meeting between the teams, as West Ham and Fiorentina haven’t played each other since 1975. Plus, neither team has won a European trophy since the ’60s, making this an intriguing matchup. We’ll look at the odds of the UEFA Conference League Finals in this Fiorentina vs. West Ham matchup.
Fiorentina vs. West Ham
Date, time:
Location: Fortuna Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
Streaming: Paramount+
Head-to-Head
Fiorentina and West Ham have only met twice in their long histories. In 1975, the two sides contested the Anglo-Italian League Cup as West Ham won the FA Cup and Fiorentina won the Coppa Italia. Over two legs, Fiorentina defended with vigor and won the cup with a 2-0 aggregate victory. Each match finished 1-0 to the Viola. Here, the West Ham odds price the Hammers as favorites.
Fiorentina Reach Two Finals in 2022-23
- Semifinal Result: 4-3 agg. W vs. FC Basel
- Key Absences: N/A
Fiorentina’s league position may not be anything special, but the Viola have put together an excellent season. They enter their final match at Sassuolo in ninth place in the Serie A standings and can’t finish higher than eighth. So, expect Vincenzo Italiano to set up his team on Friday with next Wednesday’s final in mind.
The Conference League Final is Fiorentina’s second final of the season. They knocked out Sampdoria, Torino, and Cremonese en route to the Coppa Italia final. Nicolas Gonzalez struck within three minutes to give the Viola a lead, but Fiorentina fell 2-1 to Inter Milan.
To reach the Conference League Final, Fiorentina finished second in Group A. In the Conference League playoff, the Viola scored seven goals vs. Braga over two legs en route to a 7-2 aggregate victory. Fiorentina also scored a 5-2 aggregate win over Turkish side Sivasspor in the round of 16.
The goals kept pouring in as the Viola scored six goals over two games vs. Lech Poznan in the quarters. The Viola also overturned a 2-1 deficit to defeat Basel 4-3 on aggregate in the semis. Antonin Barak scored a 129th-minute winner in extra time to book Fiorentina’s place in the final.
Fiorentina have scored 22 goals in just eight knockout stage games as their players are all over the Conference League leaderboard. Four Fiorentina players are the top six goalscorers in the competition. Arthur Cabral is a joint-top scorer, with seven goals, while Luka Jovic has found the net six times. Both Nico Gonzalez and Antonin Barak have scored five Conference League goals.
Cristiano Biraghi and Christian Kouame are first and second in assists, with six and five, respectively. Fiorentina are in solid form heading into this match and recently defeated Europa League finalists Roma 2-1 in Serie A.
Hammers Struggle in EPL
- Semifinal Result: 3-1 agg. W vs. AZ Alkmaar
- Key Absences: F Gianluca Scamacca
West Ham were in the relegation picture for most of the Premier League season. The Hammers went 11-7-20 in the EPL, which was good enough for 14th place in the Premier League.
They finished 21 points outside of a European place but can pull off a shock qualification for next season’s Europa League. Even though they struggled domestically this season, West Ham were excellent in the Conference League.
David Moyes’s Hammers went 6-0 in the Conference League group stage, with a +9 goal difference. West Ham averaged just 1.1 goals per game in the EPL in 2022-23 but have scored 2.3 goals per game in 12 Conference League matches.
Now, the UEFA Conference League Finals odds list the Hammers as favorites. That could have something to do with their 11-1-0 record in the competition up to this point. West Ham last won a major European title in 1965, when they took home the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
All of West Ham’s knockout stage victories were by two or more goals on aggregate. The Hammers defeated AEK Larnaca 6-0 over two legs in the round of 16. West Ham’s only draw of the competition came in the first leg of the quarters vs. Gent.
They picked up a 4-1 win in the second leg as Michail Antonio scored twice. West Ham beat AZ Alkmaar 3-1 in the semifinal to advance to their first major European final since 1976. Antonio has scored six goals en route, and Jarrod Bowen has added four goals and two assists.
Match Analysis and Odds
This match, at Fortuna Arena in Prague, is expected to be a fiery encounter. The UEFA Conference League Finals odds list this match as a pick’em. East London’s West Ham come in at -125 odds to cover. Meanwhile, Fiorentina pk shows -105 odds.
Fiorentina have done quite well against Premier League opposition in the EPL era, with a 6-3-3 record. However, they haven’t met an English team since losing 4-1 on aggregate to Tottenham in the 2014-15 Europa League round of 32. Meanwhile, the only Serie A team West Ham have faced in the last 20 years is Palermo. In the 2006-07 UEFA Cup first round, West Ham fell 4-0 to Palermo over two legs.
West Ham have also never scored against Fiorentina but are +160 favorites to win here. They’ve won two of their last three matches in all competitions but fell 2-1 to relegated Leicester City on the final day of the EPL season.
Forward Gianluca Scamacca is out for the Hammers, but they’re well-stocked in attack with Said Benrahma, Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen, and Pablo Fornals. While West Ham are unbeaten in this competition, Fiorentina have gone 10-1-3 in the Conference League.
The Viola are +185 moneyline underdogs and have scored in 13 of their 14 matches in the UECL. Meanwhile, West Ham have found the net in every single match they’ve played in the Conference League. Even though both teams have poured in the goals in the knockout stage, under 2.5 goals come in at -145 odds.
Wednesday’s Europa League final, which Sevilla won in penalties over Roma, went into extra time, and a draw sits at +215 odds. Fiorentina display +105 odds to win the title overall, while West Ham are -135 favorites to lift a first major European trophy for almost 60 years.
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