Europa Conference League final predictions and odds for Fiorentina v West Ham: Hammers heading for glory

Where to watch Fiorentina v West Ham

BT Sport 1, 8pm Wednesday

Best bet

West Ham to lift the trophy
1pt 20-23 BoyleSports

Fiorentina v West Ham odds

Fiorentina 9-5
West Ham 17-10
Draw 21-10

Odds correct at time of publishing

Fiorentina v West Ham team news

Fiorentina
Goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu is a long-term absentee.

West Ham
Gianluca Scamacca misses out but David Moyes has an otherwise fully fit squad to select from.

Fiorentina v West Ham predictions

West Ham have endured a tough Premier League season but they have been outstanding in the Europa Conference League, winning 13 of 14 matches, and they should prove too strong for Fiorentina in the final in Prague.

The Europa Conference league was launched last season as a third tier of European competition but it quickly took as Jose Mourinho led Roma to a high profile 1-0 success over Feyenoord in the 2022 final.

Fiorentina are aiming to maintain Serie A's hold on the trophy and atone for the disappointment of their 2-1 loss to Inter in the Coppa Italia final.

The Viola's sole triumph in a European competition came 62 years ago when they beat Rangers 4-1 on aggregate in the 1961 European Cup Winners' Cup final.

In more recent times they were Europa League semi-finalists in 2007-08 and 2014-15, but they had a six-year break from European football prior to this season and have had an up-and-down campaign in Serie A, finishing eighth.

Vincenzo Italiano's side ended their domestic campaign strongly, taking ten points from their final four games, and they have generally flourished against some ordinary opposition on the European stage.

However, their path to the final has included losses away to Istanbul Basaksehir and at home to Lech Poznan and Basel, and there is little doubt that West Ham are an upgrade on all three of those teams.

The Hammers' sole triumph in a major European competition came in 1965 when Alan Sealey's double sealed a 2-0 success over 1860 Munich in the European Cup Winners Cup final.

But they reached the semi-finals of last season's Europa League and have looked at ease in their maiden Europa Conference League campaign.

David Moyes's side won all six group-stage fixtures and impressed against tricky opposition in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, posting convincing aggregate successes over Gent and AZ Alkmaar.

It has been a different story in the Premier League as they lost five of their first eight games, a run which set the scene for a scrap for survival. But West Ham always seemed likely to have enough to stave off the drop and their top-flight status was secure before they triumphed 3-1 at home to Leeds in their penultimate league fixture.

Several Hammers players have performed better on European nights but perhaps none more than Michail Antonio, who has grabbed six goals in the competition.

Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Lucas Paqueta have also impressed and the Hammers' frontline could give them the advantage in the final.

Fiorentina have relied heavily on striker Arthur, who has netted six times in the knockout rounds, but their defence looks suspect.

Italiano's outfit have not kept a clean sheet in their last five Conference League fixtures and a failure to shutout West Ham could hand the trophy to their Premier League opponents.

Key stat

West Ham have won 13 of 14 Europa Conference League matches

Probable teams

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Amrabat, Castrovilli; Gonzalez, Bonaventura, Ikone; Arthur Cabral.
Subs: Cerofolini, Mandragora, Jovic, Sottil, Ranieri, Barak, Saponara, Terzic, Igor.

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Areola; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Antonio.
Subs: Fabianski, Fornals, Ings, Downes, Coufal, Lanzini, Cornet, Ogbonna, Emerson.

Inside info

Fiorentina

Penalty taker Arthur Cabral
Assist ace Cristiano Biraghi
Set-piece aerial threat Nikola Milenkovic
Card magnet Sofyan Amrabat

West Ham

Penalty taker Said Benrahma
Assist ace Jarrod Bowen
Set-piece aerial threat Tomas Soucek
Card magnet Declan Rice

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