Fiorentina vs Club Brugge

Fiorentina and Club Brugge are set to lock horns in the first leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final tie at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Seeking amends for last season’s Europa Conference League final heartbreak, Fiorentina grabbed a dramatic extra-time win against Viktoria Plzen in the quarter-finals to maintain their hopes of lifting their first piece of silverware since winning the Coppa Italia trophy in 2000/01. Vincenzo Italiano’s men have gone from strength to strength in this year’s competition, racking up a ten-game unbeaten run (W5, D5) since losing their qualification playoff first leg to Rapid Wien. ‘La Viola’ lost an alternate route into next season’s European competition with a 4-1 defeat to Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semi-finals last week. However, they bounced back with a stunning 5-1 home triumph against Sassuolo over the weekend, registering their third win in four matches (L1), all of which yielded multi-goal margins. 

Visiting Club Brugge made light work of Greek giants PAOK in the quarter-finals, winning both legs ‘to nil’ en route to their first major European semi-finals since the 1991/92 Cup Winners’ Cup. But the Belgian outfit’s long-standing struggles against Italian opponents paint a bleak picture, with Brugge going winless in their last 11 such fixtures (D4, L7). On a more positive note, they’ve gone into overdrive since interim boss Nicky Hayen assumed the reins in mid-March, racking up an eye-catching seven wins in eight competitive games under his stewardship (D1), including a 3-0 demolition of bitter domestic rivals Genk at the weekend. High scoring has been a common theme in Brugge’s recent matches, with ten of their last 13 featuring over 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for an action-packed contest.