Palladino: ‘Many positives for Fiorentina, we can turn this around’ | OneFootball

Raffaele Palladino insists Fiorentina ‘take many positives’ from the 2-1 defeat to Real Betis, as they are confident that the Conference League semi-final can be turned around in the second leg.

The Viola had a rough start in Seville, going behind after six minutes to Abde Ezzalzouli’s effort off the underside of the bar, then Antony hit a scorcher from the edge of the area to double the Betis lead.

However, Luca Ranieri was ready on the Robin Gosens knockback to halve the deficit going into the second leg at the Stadio Franchi next Thursday.

SEVILLE, SPAIN – MAY 01: Isco of Real Betis is challenged by Luca Ranieri of Fiorentina during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between Real Betis Balompie and ACF Fiorentina at Estadio Benito Villamarin on May 01, 2025 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

“We knew they would start strong in a very passionate atmosphere, they are a very strong team with individual talents,” Palladino told Sky Sport Italia.

“The important thing is the team did not lose its way, we started playing good football, keeping the ball, and I liked the courage and character of the performance. There are many positives to take from this.

“Obviously, there are regrets too. I am particularly frustrated with the second goal, I spoke to De Gea, he said that he didn’t see the ball leave Antony’s boot and that is because the other player was offside and obstructing his view.”

That was Cedric Bakambu who was standing in an offside position, as pointed out by Palladino, but VAR and the referee decided he was not interfering with play.

Palladino has hope for Fiorentina

SEVILLE, SPAIN – MAY 01: Luca Ranieri of Fiorentina celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between Real Betis Balompie and ACF Fiorentina at Estadio Benito Villamarin on May 01, 2025 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

“We can take many positives from this match. We thank the many fans who came to Seville and hope that next Thursday the Stadio Franchi can be our 12th man. We believe and want to go through to the Final,” added Palladino.

Moise Kean was not risked from the start after more than a week out tending to a family matter, but when he came on for the second half, it made a clear difference to the way Fiorentina played.

“Moise is a player with unique characteristics in our squad, as Gudmundsson, Beltran and Zaniolo are really more second strikers, so he is the only centre-forward,” confessed Palladino.

“The way he attacks, his physicality are all different. It was a very good first half, but when we introduced Moise, obviously he irritated their defence a lot. All the lads played with courage, believed to the end, and it’s true we could’ve conceded more, but also scored more.

“The message we want to send is that we believe, it’s all open. Betis have champions that can change a game at any moment, but we want to give our all next Thursday.”

Kean missed, Cataldi injured

SEVILLE, SPAIN – MAY 01: Moise Kean of Fiorentina holds off Marc Bartra of Real Betis during the UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Semi Final First Leg match between Real Betis Balompie and ACF Fiorentina at Estadio Benito Villamarin on May 01, 2025 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

There was some other bad news for Palladino, as Danilo Cataldi limped off during the first half with a muscular problem and is expected to be a major doubt for both Sunday’s Serie A clash with Roma and the second leg of this semi-final.

“We learned a lot from this match and we dominated the midfield with an extra man, so we could’ve used that better and will work on that for the second leg. We had a lot of cross-field passes, could’ve done it more and better, especially moving it quicker in the first half.

“What interests me is the mentality of the team. The lads were fired up and confident in the dressing room, I felt a positive energy in there. It is only half-time in the tie and we have great confidence for playing the second leg in front of our fans,” concluded Palladino.

It looks as if Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea will be waiting in the Final, as they earned a 4-1 victory away to Djurgarden this evening.