Fiorentina vs West Ham: Conference League Final team news and prediction

The Conference League final sees two sides in Fiorentina and West Ham look to end long trophy droughts both in Europe and altogether, with qualification for next season’s Europa League also an added bonus. 

Ahead of this one, we provide the necessary pre-match information, including where to watch the final, team news and probable XIs. 

When is kick off?

Wednesday 7th June 2023, 20:00 KO (GMT). 

Where is the match?

 Eden Arena, Prague (Czech Republic). 

What TV channel is it on?

 BT Sport 1, BT Sport Ultimate and BT Sport App, BT Sport YouTube Channel.

Route to the final 

Fiorentina overcame Twente in qualifying, before finishing second, on goal difference, below Istanbul Basaksehir, in Conference League Group A before they were drawn against Portuguese outfit Braga. A dominant 4-0 first leg win set the tone to win 7-2 on aggregate, before overcoming Sivasspor with a 5-1 aggregate win in the last-16. Their quarter-final tie against Lech Poznan started in the best possible way with a 4-1 win in the first leg but found the tie level at 4-4 69 minutes into the second leg, before goals from Riccardo Sottil and substitute Gaetano Castrovilli clinched a 6-4 aggregate win. Swiss side FC Basel awaited in the semi-finals where a 90th minute Zeki Amdouni goal for Basel meant Fiorentina would go into the second leg behind 2-1. Nicolas Gonzalez proved the hero though, twice giving the Viola the lead to force extra-time, where in the final moments before the dreaded penalties, Antonin Barak found the winner to clinch their place in the final. 

West Ham on the other hand had a perfect group campaign in the Conference League, winning all six of their matches, scoring 13 and conceding only four times, after they had beaten Viborg in a qualifier. They continued their perfect run throughout the tournament beating AEK Larnaca in the last-16. The only game in which they haven’t won in the tournament was their quarter-final first leg, drawing 1-1 away to Gent, before easily overcoming them in the second-leg which they won 4-1 to win 5-2 on aggregate. Eredivisie’s AZ Alkmaar posed the Hammers biggest test, but the East London side saw their way through with a 3-1 aggregate win, to book themselves to Prague. 

Team news 

Salvatore Sirigu is Fiorentina's only confirmed absentee for Wednesday's Europa Conference League final meeting with West Ham. Nicolas Gonzalez is a doubt, but the Argentine should be fit to start for the Viola. 

Gianluca Scamacca remains West Ham's sole injury absentee with the Italian sidelined following knee surgery. David Moyes has a decision to make at right-back and may go for Thilo Kehrer ahead of Vladimir Coufal. 

Probable XIs 

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Dodo, Martinez, Milenkovic, Biraghi; Amrabat, Mandragora; Gonzalez, Bonaventura, Ikone; Cabral. 

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola; Kehrer, Aguerd, Zouma, Cresswell; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio. 

Key battle: Sofyan Amrabat vs Declan Rice 

This game proves to be an intriguing affair of two sides who will take the game to one another, with Fiorentina’s attacking flair and West Ham’s fierce counter-attacking game both due to be in full effect, meaning intensity levels will be high throughout, which is where Sofyan Amrabat and Declan Rice come in. 

Sofyan Amrabat, once linked with West Ham’s rivals Tottenham, has continued to impress in midfield this season and could prove pivotal in Fiorentina winning this match. His passing game is one of his key components to his game and a pass success rate of 89.8% was one of the best in Serie A last season, while he is also a difficult player for any opponent player to get past, accumulating a tackle success rate of 75% and only being dribbled past on 13 occasions in his 2007 minutes of league action. Amrabat’s 1720 touches in Serie A last season suggests he is a player who will be heavily involved in the final’s key proceedings.

While speculation continues to surround his future from the biggest clubs in Europe, Declan Rice has continued to rise above the noise to be a key component in the West Ham engine room. Rice made more interceptions (63) than any other player in the Premier League and only Rodri (187) won possession in the midfield third on more occasions than the England international (173) last season. While there is no doubt that this defensive awareness will prove key, what must also be stated is that the Hammers’ captain can be vital in an attacking sense as well, having contributed to six goals in the Premier League last season and having completed 35 successful dribbles. 

This final is proving a hard one to predict, but if one of Amrabat or Rice can stand tallest in this clash, then they could determine who will end their club’s long wait for silverware. 

Score prediction: Fiorentina 1-2 West Ham