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Fiorentina vs West Ham: UEFA Conference League Final Preview, Odds, Predictions (June 7)
Initial Thoughts
Two sides who haven't tasted European glory for a combined 80+ years, Fiorentina and West Ham can transform their disappointing seasons with a win in the UEFA Conference League final tonight.
The Narrative
On domestic form alone Fiorentina have enjoyed far and away the better season. Vincenzo Italiano’s side play slick attacking football and have picked up big league wins against the likes of Inter, AC Milan, and Roma in 2023.
The Tuscan outfit finished the campaign on a high as well, after suffering only two Serie A losses from late February onwards.
But that run wasn't quite enough to secure guaranteed European football next season, and Fiorentina’s 8th place finish is actually one spot lower and six points fewer than they managed in the 2021/22 campaign.
Further sanctions against 7th placed Juventus could still change all that, but for now its only victory in tonight’s UEFA Conference League final that can deliver continental football for Italiano’s side.
West Ham’s season - and potentially David Moyes’ position at the club - could ultimately be decided by the outcome of this evening’s fixture as well.
Moyes led the Hammers to a 7th placed finish in 2022, without the London side spending a single week in the bottom half of the table. But this around the stats tell a different story, with the Hammers dragged into the relegation places on multiple occasions and spending all but one week in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
A 14th place finish is a terrible return for a side who spent in excess of $250M last summer. But a Conference League trophy would put a whole different slant on the Hammer’s 2022/23 campaign.
Nuts and Bolts
Of their 12 European fixtures this season, West Ham have come out on the winning side in all but one. In fact, a 1-1 draw away to Gent in the quarter final first leg was the only time Moyes’s side have dropped points in the competition so far.
The Hammers conceded only three times across six knock-out round fixtures, and they were far and away the highest scorers in their qualifying group.
Fiorentina on the other hand lost twice on their way to the final, suffering home defeats against both Lech Poznan and Basel in the first legs of the semi-final and quarter final respectively.
Italiano’s side are still the competition’s top scorers though, and Fiorentina have no problem finding the net on unfamiliar territory.
The Tuscan outfit scored four goals in all but one of their away knockout fixtures, and Moyes’ will be wary of Fiorentina’s attacking prowess.
Homestand Picks
All odds courtesy of Northstar Bets
Fiorentina are in their second final of the year after narrowly missing out in lifting the Coppa Italia in a tight 1-0 loss to Inter.
West Ham reached the semi-final of the Europa League last season and have reserved their best football for the continental stage this campaign. With very little between the two sides, we’re going for a stalemate at full time.
Fiorentina scored 22 goals in the knockout rounds alone, and West Ham scored 4 in two of their last three home fixtures in the competition.
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