Fiorentina vs Real Betis

Stadio Artemio Franchi sets the stage for the second leg of a finely poised UEFA Conference League semi-final tie between Fiorentina and Real Betis. 

Fiorentina’s quest to appear in a third consecutive Conference League final is up in the air following a 2-1 first-leg defeat in Seville. Slow to recover, La Viola slumped to a 1-0 away loss to Roma in Serie A over the weekend, further diminishing their chances of securing European football via their league finish. Therefore, they’ll be out to defy their underwhelming all-time record against Spanish clubs (W2, D4, L9) and turn this tie on its head. On the bright side, both victories came on home turf, while Raffaele Palladino’s men progressed from all 12 previous two-legged ties in the Conference League. End-to-end action is on the cards, considering Fiorentina’s last six European fixtures have seen both teams score, highlighting the potential for a ‘both teams to score’ theme. 

On the other hand, Betis’ aggregate triumph over Polish outlet Jagiellonia in the quarter-finals helped them get the deepest in a major European competition in club history. However, Manuel Pellegrini remains hellbent on guiding Los Verdiblancos to their first-ever continental final. Confidence comes from Betis’ four-game winning streak in all competitions, bookended by a 2-1 win over Espanyol last weekend. Furthermore, the Spaniards have fared outstandingly against Italian opposition lately, going unbeaten across their six most recent meetings with Serie A clubs (W4, D2). They’ve done equally well in the Conference League, avoiding defeat in eight of their last nine outings in Europe’s third-tier competition (W6, D2).