Italy’s number 8 against England’s number 14. At first glance, the final of the Conference League between Fiorentina and West Ham does not seem to be a real high-flyer. And yet tonight it pays to turn on your TV. Just for these 5 reasons.
Goal scoring machines
If Fiorentina and West Ham United continue their European momentum, we can brace ourselves for a feast of goals in Prague tonight.
No team has scored as many goals as Fiorentina in this campaign. The Italians scored 36 goals in 14 games. A penalty average of 2.58 goals per match.
The Hammers from London became group winners before New Year and therefore had to play 2 games less than Fiorentina. Yet West Ham is in 2nd place when it comes to goals scored.
27 hits in 12 games and an average of 2.25 goals per match, the Londoners can also present great statistics.
Alphonse Areola (West Ham) has already kept his nets clean 6 times this campaign.
Although we should perhaps also add that West Ham conceded just 7 goals in all those games and therefore has one of the best defenses in the league.
An unstoppable force against an immovable block or just 2 goal machines?
Familiar faces
The followers of Belgian football will probably recognize some cups tonight.
World Cup revelation Sofyan Amrabat plays at Fiorentina. The Moroccan played for Club Brugge in the 2018-2019 season.
Also active at the club from Firenze and perhaps linger a little better in the memory of the Jupiler Pro League followers: Christian Kouamé. The spry attacker had to score goals for Anderlecht last year.
After the end of his rental period, Kouamé exchanged one purple and white shirt for another. Although the Ivorian at La Viola often has to settle for a role as a substitute.
Sofyan Amrabat played one season for Club Brugge.
No players with a Belgian link at West Ham. Although the Hammers were in the same group as Anderlecht before New Year. You can also recognize some stars from those mutual confrontations.
Especially Declan Rice, coveted by just about every top club in Europe, Lucas Paquetá and Michail Antonio are the eye-catchers at the English club.
Top scorer of all time
Agreed, the Conference League is still very young. But tonight we do get to see the all-time top scorer of European competition. Arthur Cabral is the name.
“Who?”, we can hear you thinking.
Arthur Cabral is the Brazilian striker of Fiorentina. The strong number 9 already shook the nets 7 times in 13 Conference League games. This makes him the top scorer of this campaign.
In the 2021-2022 season, Cabral made the most of the weather at FC Basel. He also scored 5 European goals for the Swiss. With 12 goals over 2 seasons, nobody does better in the latest UEFA competition.
The 25-year-old Brazilian has already scored 7 times in the Conference League this season.
18 on 18: dominance at its best
32 teams have already taken part in the group stage of the Conference League twice. So 64 possibilities to get 18 out of 18. It only worked 1 time.
It’s West Ham that did it this season. In a group with Anderlecht, FCSB and Silkeborg, the Hammers (often even with a B-team) stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Fiorentina struggled more. The Italians were only 2nd in their group with 13 out of 18, after Istanbul Basaksehir.
West Ham already has a first record in the Conference League. Soon the final profit?
West Ham booked a 0-1 win at Lotto Park.
Patience is a virtue
Both teams may not see their last (and only) European cup for a while due to the layer of dust on it.
Fiorentina won the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1960/1961, West Ham repeated that feat 4 years later. Since then, they are still waiting in Florence and London for another European triumph.
Fiorentina won its first and only European trophy in 1961.
The hunger for success will therefore be great. Fiorentina also become the first club to have played in all four UEFA finals tonight. So they also get a record anyway.
Will the Italians embellish that performance with a new cup or will the smallest of the European trophies go to England after all?
2023-06-07 04:31:03
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