Fiorentina vs Celje facts

Fiorentina welcome Slovenian opposition for the first time as European last-eight debutants Celje make the trip to Italy for the second leg of their UEFA Conference League quarter-final tie trailing 2-1 after the first game.

A fine strike from Luca Ranieri (27) and a penalty from Rolando Mandragora (62) gave two-time runners-up Fiorentina the upper hand in the first leg before Logan Delaurier-Chaubet converted a penalty of his own for Celje on 68 minutes to revive home hopes.

That was the first time either side had played against a team from the other's country in UEFA competition.

Form guide

Fiorentina

Record vs Slovenian clubs: W1 D0 L0 F2 A1

The Italian side – who lost to West Ham in the 2023 final and Olympiacos 12 months later – finished third in this season's league phase (W4 D1 L1). In the round of 16 they took on Panathinaikos, losing 3-2 in Athens before triumphing 3-1 at home thanks to goals from Mandragora, Albert Gudmundsson and Moise Kean.

La Viola have won all 11 of their two-legged Conference League ties, qualifying included, and have progressed from nine of their previous ten quarter-finals in European competition, the exception a 1-3 aggregate defeat by Celtic in the 1969/70 European Cup.

Fiorentina have won more matches (22) and scored more goals (87) in the Conference League, Matchday 1 to final, than any other team.

The 1961 Cup Winners' Cup winners have lost only four of their last 25 European games (W13 D9) and have won 13 of their previous 21 matches in UEFA quarter-finals, drawing four and losing four.

Raffaele Palladino's team have scored 25 goals in this season's Conference League, behind only Chelsea (32).

Fiorentina have qualified on 14 of the 16 previous occasions they have won the first leg of European competition away from home. They last took a one-goal advantage into a home second leg in last season's round of 16, when a 4-3 victory at Maccabi Haifa was followed by a 1-1 home draw.

Fiorentina's record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W3 L3:
4-5 v Sachsenring Zwickau, 1975/76 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
1-3 v Boavista, 1986/87 UEFA Cup first round
3-1 v Atlético de Madrid, 1989/90 UEFA Cup first round
4-3 v Groningen, 2007/08 UEFA Cup first round
4-2 v Everton, 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16
2-4 v Rangers, 2007/08 UEFA Cup semi-final

Celje

Record vs Italian clubs: W0 D0 L1 F1 A2

The Slovenian champions – who are at this stage of a European competition for the first time – finished 21st in the league phase, qualifying for the knockout stages on goal difference following two wins, one draw and three defeats from their six matches.

Albert Riera's side took on Cypriot side APOEL in the knockout phase play-off, drawing 2-2 at home in the first leg before a 2-0 away victory in the return sent them through to the round of 16 for the first time in the club's history.

A 1-0 home win in their first leg against Lugano, thanks to Tamar Svetlin's 23rd-minute header, was followed by a dramatic second leg in Thun which featured nine goals, Celje eventually prevailing 3-1 on penalties after a 5-5 draw on aggregate.

Celje are the first Slovenian team to appear in a major UEFA competition quarter-final.

They have lost five of their six away matches in Europe this season (W1); none of their past 42 games in UEFA competition have finished goalless.

Svit Sešlar has seven assists in this season's competition, three more than any other player.

Celje have won one of their three previous UEFA ties when they have lost their home first leg by a one-goal deficit. That came in last season's Conference League second qualifying round, when they lost 3-4 at home to Vitória SC before winning 1-0 away from home and prevailing 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out.

Celje’s record in two UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W2 L0:
4-2 v Vitória SC, 2023/24 Conference League second qualifying round
3-1 v Lugano, 2024/25 Conference League round of 16

Links and trivia

Celje's Artemijus Tutyškinas was at Italian side Crotone in Serie B in 2021/22, although he did not make a first-team appearance.

Tutyškinas made his international debut for Lithuania in Italy, the Azzurri winning 5-0 on 8 September 2021 with Fiorentina striker Kean opening the scoring.

Celje's midfielder Logan Delaurier-Chaubet came through the Bordeaux academy and B team when Fiorentina's Yacine Adli was playing for the French club's first team obetween 2019 and 2022.

Celje coach Riera spent a brief period in Italy with Udinese in 2014 during his playing career but did not play a game.