Real Betis vs Fiorentina

Real Betis and Fiorentina are set to trade tackles at Estadio Benito Villamarin in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final tie. 

Real Betis made history in the quarter-final as they overcame Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok to secure their first-ever appearance in a UEFA semi-final. Despite still fighting tooth and nail to secure a top-five finish in La Liga, lifting the Conference League title remains a priority for Betis. Facing Fiorentina in this exciting last-four tie could be just what the doctor ordered for Los Verdiblancos, who are unbeaten across their last five matches against Italian opposition (W3, D2). Benito Villamarin has recently been a fortress, with Betis racking up four wins across their five most recent home league outings (L1). Moreover, they’ve only suffered one loss in seven home games in the Conference League (W4, D2), bolstering their quest to become the first Spanish club to reach the final of Europe’s third-tier competition.

On the other hand, Fiorentina must defy history to secure a third consecutive appearance in the Conference League final as they’ve won just two of their 14 previous encounters against Spanish clubs (D4, L8). Additionally, their last two-legged tie against La Liga opposition yielded a dismal 5-0 aggregate defeat to Betis’ crosstown rivals Sevilla in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League. Raffaele Palladino’s charges head into this meeting in high spirits after last weekend’s 2-1 win over Empoli extended their unbeaten run to nine games (W6, D3). However, there’s a note of caution, with La Viola only winning once across their last four Conference League road trips (W1, D1, L2).