Fiorentina-Viktoria Plzen is a match valid for the return leg of the Conference League quarterfinals and is played Thursday at 6:45 p.m.: live TV, probable formations, predictions.
Evidently Miroslav Koubek, coach of Viktoria Plzen, Fiorentina had studied it well. In the first leg, the Czech coach placed the so-called “coach” in front of the goal – the red and blue rarely crossed the midfield line – worrying exclusively about not taking goals.
An attitude also adopted by other teams this year against the Viola, which has a hard time unhinging such closed defenses. The ball possession, this time more sterile than ever, of Vincenzo Italiano’s team did not bear the desired fruit: the outfielders never had an easy time on the flanks and the result was a game of rare boredom (0-0) in which basically nothing of note happened. On the contrary, the only dangerous chances came from Koubek’s men themselves, but they wasted them badly. As it had already done in the previous round with the Swiss Servette (two 0-0 in a row) Viktoria Plzen will defend to the bitter end in Florence as well, in an attempt to at least make it to penalty kicks. It will take the Fiorentina of the best chances – seen very little in this 2024 – to pierce the Czech rearguard and put the qualification on the downhill path.
Italian goes all-in on cups
The liliati meanwhile seem to have definitely “given up” on the league, drawing in last Monday’s post-match against a Genoa without any more concrete goals (1-1).
A match in which Italiano dosed the minutes of the starters to have them fresh in the return match with Plzen, a match that is worth a season for the Viola, as well as one of the last “passports” to Europe. In Serie A, the Tuscans are currently tenth, have won only two games since January, and the points to make up on their direct competitors are starting to become many. Viktoria Plzen, still undefeated in Europe just like Fiorentina, on the other hand, is back from a fine success against Slavia Prague (1-0), chastened in the final by a goal from Sulc. The Rossoblù, however, remain far from the top: they are third, at a sidereal distance from the two clubs from the Czech capital. Compared to the first leg, Koubek will be able to count on Kopic and Dweh, who were disqualified seven days ago. In the Viola, Arthur will be back at the helm while Beltran is in the runoff with Barak.
The prediction
Florentin, in this edition of the Conference League, has never been dry of goals in front of its public and we believe that it can manage to break Viktoria Plzen’s “wall” on at least one occasion. The total goals are likely to be less than four.
The probable lineups of Fiorentina-Viktoria Plzen
FIORENTINA (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Arthur, Bonaventura; Nico Gonzalez, Barak, Sottil; Belotti.
VIKTORIA PLZEN (5-3-2): Jedlicka; Kopic, Dweh, Hranac, Jemelka, Cadu; Cerv, Kalvach, Traorè; Chory, Sulc.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-0
