Fiorentina vs Club Brugge Europa Conference League semi-final first leg preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Article summary
When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups? All you need to know about the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg between Fiorentina and Club Brugge.
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Fiorentina and Club Brugge meet in their UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg on Thursday 2 May.
Fiorentina vs Club Brugge at a glance
When: Thursday 2 May (21:00 CET kick-off)
Where: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
What: UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage can be found here
Where to watch Fiorentina vs Club Brugge
Fans can find their local UEFA Europa Conference League broadcast partner(s) here.
What do you need to know?
Fiorentina set an unhappy record last season, defeat by West Ham in the Conference League decider making them the first side to lose in all of UEFA's major club competition finals, but the 1960/61 European Cup Winners' Cup champions will be eager to put things right as they welcome Club Brugge. Although their recent form has been patchy, Vincenzo Italiano's side have tended to do enough when it comes to Thursday nights, edging past Maccabi Haifa and Viktoria Plzeň in their knockout ties this season.
Runners-up in the 1975/76 UEFA Cup and 1977/78 European Cup, Club Brugge have hit a vein of form since the arrival of Nicky Hayen as stand-in boss in March and are very much in the running for the Belgian title as well as the Conference League. "We have to look at freshness, mental freshness, and try to make the best choices," said Hayen as he attempted to lift the pressure off his side. "At the moment, we are on a roll and we will try to keep that going for as long as possible."
Predicted line-ups
Fiorentina: Terracciano; Dodô, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Mandragora; González, Beltrán, Kouame; Belotti
Club Brugge: Jackers; Sabbe, Ordóñez, Mechele; Meijer, Onyedika, Vetlesen, Vanaken, Skóraś; Jutglà, Thiago
Form guide
Fiorentina
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WLWWDD
Most recent result: Fiorentina 5-1 Sassuolo, 28/04, Italian Serie A
Club Brugge
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWWWWW
Most recent result: Genk 0-3 Club Brugge, 28/04, Belgian First League
Expert prediction
Fabio Balaudo, match reporter
Club Brugge may have scored three in their weekend match, but Fiorentina did even better in taking Sassuolo by storm on Sunday evening with five goals, two of them netted by Nicolás González. Coach Italiano opted for some rotation ahead of Thursday's game against the Belgian outfit, but the team still showed great spirit on the pitch and are in good form ahead of their European task. It is no secret that the Viola are aiming for a second consecutive final in the competition, so a flawless performance against Brugge at the Stadio Franchi will be imperative.
What the coaches say
Vincenzo Italiano, Fiorentina coach: "We have entered the crucial stage of the season: everything will be decided here. For the second time in as many seasons, we are in the semi-finals. The lads are very happy."
Nicky Hayen, Club Brugge coach: "I'm part of a great team and you can see that from the joy resonating from everyone. Everyone has and takes responsibility, and by doing that you can achieve a lot. If you can also transmit that faith among the staff to the players, they can join you, and then you really have a synergy between staff and players, and also fans."
Destination: Athens
The 2023/24 Europa Conference League season will conclude at the AEK Arena in Athens, Greece on Wednesday 29 May.