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- Fiorentina v West Ham
- Wednesday June 7, 2023, 15:00 ET
- At Eden Arena
West Ham is the slight favorite to claim the Europa Conference League but the value pick is to side with its Italian opponent in Prague.
Who do Bettors Favor?
Checking out the best online sportsbooks we can see that bettors are struggling to separate the two teams in the match betting markets, although West Ham is slightly favored. The Premier League team is rated between +166 and +180, while the shortest price for Fiorentina is +175 and the draw is available at between +212 and +226.
Fiorentina Chasing Cup Win
Fiorentina was in line for two trophies this season but defeat in the Coppa Italia final last week means that the Europa Conference League is the only remaining hope of silverware.
The good news for Fiorentina fans ahead of this game is that the team has been in fine form throughout the tournament. Although it has been 62 years since the club last won a European trophy, the team has been impressive from the beginning, losing only once in the Group stage and going on to beat Sivasspor, Sporting Braga, Lech Poznan and Basel on its way to the final.
Fiorentina also reached the final in style, scoring an impressive 36 goals across 14 games, making it the tournament’s top-scoring team, thanks in part to the tournament’s top goalscorer Arthur Cabral. Going into the weekend, the team had only won two games in its previous seven across all competitions but signed off its Serie A campaign with a solid 3-1 win against Sassuolo.
West Ham Undefeated
Like Fiorentina, West Ham also won the European Cup Winners Cup in the 1960s, but the club also managed success in the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup.
Although it has not been impressive in the Premier League, where it eventually finished 14th, David Moyes’ team has been tough throughout the Conference League campaign, emerging from its Group B fixtures with six wins out of six and subsequently beating AEK Larnaca, Gent and AZ Alkmaar to get to the final, making it the only team yet to lose a game in this season’s competition.
In the Premier League, the Hammers’ games have provided plenty of entertainment in recent weeks. The London club ended its domestic season with a victory over Leicester City, and that means it has won seven of its last 11 games across all competitions.
Europa Conference League Head to Head
Although neither of these teams has been a regular on the European stage, they have met before, although it was almost 50 years ago.
The head-to-head record shows that West Ham played against Fiorentina in the 1975 Anglo-Italian League Cup Winners’ Cup, but it was the Italian club that prevailed, winning both games 1-0. The Hammers also lost in their only other tie against Italian opponents, going down 4-0 on aggregate against Palermo in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup.
Fiorentina has a better record against English clubs. La Viola has won six of its 12 games against English opponents, drawing three and losing three, including wins over Liverpool in the Champions League of 2009/10 and Tottenham in the 2014/15 Europa League.
Europa Conference League Team News
The team news for Fiorentina is good going into this season-defining game. Although the Italian club will still be missing goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, the squad is otherwise in good shape.
In fact, head coach Vincenzo Italiano didn’t need to take the option of resting key players for the final game of the Serie A season as Cabral, Sofyan Amrabat, Christian Kouame, and Nicolas Gonzalez all played. Striker Luka Jovic did not feature against Sassuolo but is likely to play a part in Prague.
West Ham also has a near-fully-fit squad. Nayef Aguerd has recovered from the dead leg sustained against Leeds, and that means only Gianluca Scamacca is missing, as he recovers from knee surgery.
Moyes can choose from Michail Antonio or Danny Ings up front, and will also be hoping for strong performances from two former Slavia Prague players, Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, who both played on this pitch earlier this season while still with the Czech club.
Europa Conference Match Betting Pick
West Ham is in better form going into this game, but overall, it has not been as impressive as its Italian opponent this season. Fiorentina finished eighth in Serie A, while the Hammers finished 14th in the Premier League, and the Italian club play a more sophisticated brand of soccer.
Moyes will certainly set up his team to be hard to beat but Fiorentina has found a way to break down most defenses this season and the Italian team looks the best pick to win here.
Best Online Sportsbooks to Bet on the Conference League
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