What to look out for in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first legs

Fiorentina, Basel, West Ham and AZ Alkmaar have all had their disappointments in their domestic leagues this season but have reason to dream as they head into the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals.

In this piece presented by Enterprise, we pick out some key talking points ahead of the first legs.

Semi-final first leg fixtures: 11 May 2023
Fiorentina vs Basel
West Ham vs AZ Alkmaar

What to look out for

Fiorentina finding their feet

After a wobbly start to the campaign, Vincenzo Italiano's Fiorentina have become one of the form teams in Serie A, and are comfortably the top scorers in this season's UEFA Europa Conference League with 32 goals. Meanwhile, Luka Jović and Arthur Cabral are joint-top in the individual rankings with six each.

The Viola flirted with disaster in the quarter-finals, going 3-0 down at home against Lech Poznań after winning the away leg 4-1, but they scored twice late on – much to Italiano's delight. "We were all united; we remained compact," said the coach. Fiorentina won the 1960/61 European Cup Winners' Cup but have not won a major trophy since the 2000/01 Coppa Italia. Could this be their year?

Basel rolling with the punches

Basel have been enduring a trying campaign in Switzerland and have rarely had an easy ride in Europe, but resilience is a major strength for Heiko Vogel's side. Having come from 2-0 down to eliminate Slovan Bratislava on penalties in the round of 16, they soaked up pressure to eliminate Nice in the quarter-finals, equalising late and then prevailing in extra time.

As they face Fiorentina, they can take courage from their only past meetings: a 2-1 away win and 2-2 home draw in the 2015/16 Europa League group stage. Midfielder Darian Males, meanwhile, is starting to believe anything is possible for his team. "We're in the semi-finals – that's super cool," he said. "Fiorentina are next: they will be two fierce games. We know what we can do. And when you're in the semi-finals, you have one goal: to win the title!"

Hammers focused on Prague

A return home to Czechia is the target for West Ham duo Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček, both of whom played for Slavia Praha – whose Eden Aréna home is staging this season's Europa Conference League final. Losing semi-finalists in the Europa League last term, they can only hope harsh lessons have been learned. "It's two years in a row that we've been in semi-finals," Souček said. "Last year, we couldn't get to the final. I hope that this year we are in it, especially with it being in Prague."

Boasting a record of W11 D1 L0 in Europe this season, the Premier League side go into their meeting with AZ Alkmaar as favourites, dreaming of a first major trophy since Trevor Brooking and Co won the 1979/80 FA Cup.

AZ banking on Alkmaar fortress

AZ forward Jens Odgaard was full of beans as he pondered the prospect of meeting David Moyes' side in the semi-finals. "We're ready for West Ham," he said. "I feel like this season, with this team, we're capable of doing big things."

The Dutch outfit have not been in a European semi-final since losing to Sporting CP in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup (and have lost all six of their previous UEFA games in England, conceding 20 goals in the process). However, if they can escape the London Stadium unbroken, they possess a 12th man of sorts for the return leg: AZ have won all eight of their home games in Europe this term, averaging over three goals a match.

Where is the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League final being played?

The Eden Aréna in Prague, Czechia, has been selected to host this season's Europa Conference League final on 7 June 2023.

The 2013 UEFA Super Cup took place at the Eden Aréna, with Bayern defeating Chelsea 5-4 on penalties following a 2-2 draw over 120 minutes. Another showpiece game then went the distance there two years later as Sweden won the 2015 Under-21 EURO final by seeing off Portugal 4-3 on spot kicks.