Fiorentina-West Ham is the final of the 2022-23 Conference League and is played on Wednesday at 9pm: free-to-air TV, streaming, formations, predictions
It’s Italian again in the final of the 2022-23 Conference League, only the second of the very young Uefa competition, which made its debut last season. The hope is that the epilogue will be identical to last year’s: at the bottom, this time, Fiorentina made it there. The Viola dream of succeeding Roma, who triumphed in May 2022 in the last act in Tirana against Feyenoord thanks to a Zaniolo goal.
Italy, who have taken three teams to each of the European finals almost thirty years after the last time, are trying again. A week after the bitter defeat suffered on the night in Budapest by Roma, beaten by Sevilla on penalties. And, as in the upcoming Champions League final, scheduled for next Saturday in Istanbul between Manchester City and Inter Milan, it will be Serie A versus Premier League. Vincenzo Italiano’s men’s opponent is West Ham, who, like Fiorentina, have lived up to the predictions made on the eve of the match: the Hammers were also among the main favourites to win the Conference League from the outset and, despite a troubled season, they have not failed to live up to expectations.
Two teams hungry for wins
There is no official precedent between the Londoners and the Viola, but these are two clubs united by an unspeakable ‘hunger’ for success, both domestically and internationally. Fiorentina return to play a final of a Uefa competition for the first time since the 1989-90 season – they defeated Juventus in the return leg – but they have not won in Europe since 1961, when they triumphed in the newly-created Cup Winners’ Cup.
Violet board that, meanwhile, has not seen a new entry since 2001, with the victory of the Coppa Italia, conquered a year before the painful corporate bankruptcy. By punching their ticket to Prague – the final will be played at the Eden Arena, Slavia’s stadium – the Viola achieved quite a significant record, becoming the first team ever to play in all four Uefa event finals (Champions Cup, Uefa Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and, indeed, Conference League). West Ham’s palmares also include a Cup Winners’ Cup, won four years later by Fiorentina. But it is since 1980 (FA Cup) that the London club has failed to lift a trophy. A year ago they came very close, reaching the semi-finals in the Europa League but raising the white flag against future champions Eintracht Frankfurt. The Conference League, for both, also has another meaning. It is an important passepartout for the next Europa League, which neither Hammers nor Viola have been able to reach through placings in their respective leagues. In the event of victory they would automatically qualify as runners-up.
The Viola’s path
For Fiorentina this is the second final in the space of a few weeks. The Viola also performed well in the Coppa Italia, taking advantage of a not-impossible route (Samp, Torino, Cremonese) but in the final at the Stadio Olimpico they were upstaged by Inter (1-2).
Italian
Better in the cups than in the league for the Viola, although from March onwards Italiano’s team was one of those that scored the most points. The eighth place finish – which could still mean Europe should Juventus be disqualified by Uefa – is the result of an uninspiring first part of the season. The game, always aggressive and proactive, was always there, but the main problem was in terms of scoring: Fiorentina, in short, in addition to scoring few goals, struggled to get going, also because only a few players in the squad were used to playing twice a week. A stunted start also in the Conference: Biraghi and his companions began their journey with a draw and a defeat, which cost them first place in the round. Then almost only victories for the Tuscans, who were forced to play the play-off to enter the round of 16. The two defeats against Lech Poznan and Basel, in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, fortunately proved to be irrelevant. Fiorentina always scored goals in buckets in the cup. And confirmation of this is the fact that Brazilian striker Cabral is the event’s top scorer. Qualification in the final, however, came with a heartbeat. A goal from Barak just before the penalty shoot-out allowed the Viola to overturn Basel, who had prevailed in the first leg.
How the Hammers got there
A two-faced season for West Ham who, despite coming off a run of excellent championships and finishing on the left-hand side of the table, have been in danger this year, constantly floating above the relegation zone.
Moyes
The Hammers achieved mathematical salvation thanks to a crescendo ending, after the coach, the Scottish David Moyes, had been repeatedly questioned. In the Conference League, on the other hand, the Londoners almost never hit a snag, asserting their superiority, both technical and qualitative. Six wins out of six in the group stage, while in the knockout phase the only draw came in the quarter-finals at home to Ghent. Double success also came in the semi-finals, played against the Dutch of Az Alkmaar, executioners of Lazio. Only fourteenth in the Premier League, for West Ham winning the cup is the only way to ‘save’ a season that started with other ambitions.
The latest line-up news
Italiano has no formation problems. And he should field the players who have given the most guarantees so far. There are, however, some doubts. In defence, next to Milenkovic, it is a ballot between Igor and Ranieri. There is also a tight duel in attack, where Jovic is threatening Cabral’s regularity: the Serbian has appeared more inspired than the Brazilian in recent weeks. In the midfield, the Sicilian-born coach will rely on Amrabat and Mandragora, while Nico Gonzalez, Bonaventura and Ikoné are certain to be present in the back three.
West Ham’s starting line-up will not include the two Italians Scamacca (injured) and Ogbonna, but Moyes seems to have very few doubts. Mirror form – it will be 4-2-3-1 like Fiorentina – in which the only ballot concerns the goal. To continue to deploy the cup goalkeeper Areola or to play it safe with the starter Fabianski? On the right, then, Coufal and Kehrer are competing for a shirt, with the latter slightly favoured. Behind the only forward Antonio will gravitate Bowen, former Milan player Paquetà and Benrahma.
The Prediction
Don’t be misled by West Ham’s disappointing Premier League season. The Londoners spent a lot last summer, adding valuable players (Scamacca, Paquetà) to an already full squad with important individuals (Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Antonio). Things did not go their way, due to a game that almost never took off, but in the Prague final they will not start off beaten. With the Viola, all things considered, they are equal. And it is not surprising that the odds of the main bookmakers do not indicate a clear favourite. The Italian team, as it often does, will start aggressively and will try to dominate the game through possession, while West Ham will try to impose themselves on the physical level and mainly exploiting the restarts, potentially lethal for a constantly high defence like the Viola’s.
Easy, then, to imagine an eventful match with both teams scoring. Watch out for Cabral and Antonio, two who have often found the way of the goal in this Conference League. It would be no surprise if regulation time ended in a draw.
The Fiorentina v West Ham likely line-ups
- FIORENTINA (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Dodò, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Amrabat, Mandragora; Gonzalez, Bonaventura, Ikoné; Cabral.
- WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Areola; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paquetà, Benrahma; Antonio.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
