Conference League Preview: Betis vs Fiorentina – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Consecutive UEFA Europa Conference League finalists Fiorentina head to Spain to take Real Betis in the first leg of their semi-final tie. Thursday’s encounter at Estadio Benito Villamarin marks the first-ever competitive meeting between these two teams, though they’ve faced each other twice in friendlies.

The record is perfectly poised, with Betis avenging a 2-1 defeat in 2014 with a 3-1 home win in 2022. However, this is an entirely different proposition. Manuel Pellegrini’s charges made club history by overcoming Polish outfit Jagiellonia Białystok in the quarter-finals as they’ve reached the semi-final of a major UEFA competition for the first time.

Betis won the first leg at home by two goals to nil, securing a crucial advantage before a 1-1 draw in Poland. Those results form part of Los Verdiblancos’ impressive run of just one defeat from their last 13 outings across all competitions. Furthermore, Betis’ resurgence has positioned them nicely in an intense top-five race in La Liga.

Like their hosts, Fiorentina can still hope to secure Europa League qualification via their Serie A finish as they trail fifth-placed Bologna by only two points heading into the last four rounds. Yet, hoisting that elusive Conference League trophy remains a priority for Raffaele Palladino’s charges after crumbling at the final hurdle in the past two campaigns.

Perhaps the third time could be the charm for La Viola, who squeezed past Celje in the quarter-finals 4-3 on aggregate to set up this tie. Despite their storied history in Europe’s third-tier competition, they face long odds in this semi-final.

Match Preview

Real Betis

Though this is Betis’ sternest test in the Conference League yet, their formidable record in this season’s knockouts speaks volumes. Before ousting Jagiellonia, they had hammered Gent 3-1 on aggregate in the knockout playoff round and emerged 6-2 aggregate winners against Vitoria Guimaraes in the round of 16.

Betis can draw heart from their five-game unbeaten run against Italian opposition (W3, D2) as they bid to write a new chapter in the club’s history. Moreover, beating Fiorentina would make the first Spanish team to feature in the Conference League final, and securing a crucial first-leg advantage looks likely.

Pellegrini’s men have only lost one home outing in the Conference League this term (W4, D2), while they’ve won four of their last five competitive matches at Benito Villamarin (L1). Delivering action from the get-go, Los Verdiblancos have opened the scoring in ten of their 11 previous European fixtures, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start.

Fiorentina

Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Empoli extended Fiorentina’s inspiring run to nine consecutive matches unbeaten (W6, D3), setting them up nicely for this trip. However, history doesn’t favor Fiorentina in this match-up, not least because they’ve only won two of their 14 previous encounters against La Liga opposition (D4, L8).

As if that’s not concerning enough, their last European two-legged showdown against Spanish opponents yielded a dismal 5-0 aggregate loss to Betis’ crosstown rivals Sevilla in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League, making it for bleak reading ahead of this trip. However, they can draw confidence from their recent Conference League experience.

Palladino is hellbent on going one better than his predecessor, Vincenzo Italiano, this term and seems to have laid the foundation for Fiorentina’s long-awaited European success. But there’s still ample room for improvement on the road. Indeed, the Florence giants’ indifferent away record in this season’s Conference League (W2, D1, L2) offers a note of caution.

Team News

Betis will be without three first-team stars here, with Chimy Avila, Diego Llorente, and Marc Roca still on the sidelines. Pellegrini has omitted long-serving stalwart William Carvalho from his UEFA squad, while winter addition Cucho Hernandez is ineligible to play.

On the other hand, Fiorentina made this trip without Dodo, Pablo Mari, and Andrea Colpani. With the Spanish center-back ruled out, Palladino will likely turn to Pietro Comuzzo to fill the gap in defense. Meanwhile, Albert Gudmundsson and Moise Kean will likely lead the line.

Real Betis vs Fiorentina Potential Starting Line-ups

Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Adrian; Sabaly, Bartra, Natan, Rodriguez; Johnny, Fornals; Antony, Isco, Rodriguez; Bakambu.

Fiorentina (3-5-2): De Gea; Pongracic, Comuzzo, Ranieri; Folorunsho, Mandragora, Cataldi, Fagioli, Gosens; Kean, Gudmundsson.

Real Betis vs Fiorentina Prediction

Despite Betis’ remarkable home record, Fiorentina’s experience at this stage of the competition could provide a cutting edge, though probably not as much as to win in Seville. However, La Viola should at least be capable of avoiding defeat at Benito Villamarin.