Thursday night action in the UEFA Europa Conference League takes us to the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia, where Fiorentina will host Ukrainian side Polissya in the second leg of their play-off tie. After a dominant 3-0 away victory in the first leg, the Italian side is firmly in the driver’s seat to secure a place in the group stage.
Match Preview
Fiorentina left no doubt about their superiority in the first leg, claiming a comfortable 3-0 win in Ukraine—despite playing with ten men for more than half the match. The result underscores the Viola’s European pedigree, particularly in the Conference League, where they’ve reached at least the semi-finals in each of the last three seasons.
At home, Fiorentina have been consistently prolific in Europe. Across their last eight Conference League matches on Italian soil, they’ve scored at least two goals in every outing. While their attacking output is impressive, they’ve also shown some defensive vulnerability—conceding in five of those eight games.
That balance of offensive power and occasional defensive lapses makes Fiorentina both exciting and unpredictable, but they’re expected to control proceedings on Thursday and entertain the home crowd.
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Polissya face an uphill battle—needing to score at least four goals without reply to progress—a highly unlikely scenario against a side of Fiorentina’s calibre. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian debutants will look to make the most of the occasion and show their attacking quality.
Despite their inexperience, Polissya have scored nine goals during their European campaign. They tend to finish strong, with goals in the second half of three of their last four matches. However, defensive concerns persist, having conceded at least two goals in five of their last seven games on the continental stage.
Probable Lineups
Fiorentina: De Gea; Comuzzo, Pongracic, Ranieri, Dodo; Fagioli, Gudmundsson, Zomm; Gosens, N’Dour, Dzeko
Polissya: Kudryk; Kravchenko, Chobotenko, Sarapiy, Korniychuk; Lednev, Babenko, Andriyevskyi; Hutsulyak, Filippov, Nazarenko
Match Facts & Head-to-Head
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Fiorentina have won six of their last eight home Conference League matches.
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Polissya have conceded 2+ goals in five of their last seven European games.
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Fiorentina won the first leg 3-0, despite being reduced to 10 men early in the match.
Prediction and Betting Tip
With the tie effectively settled, Fiorentina are likely to play with freedom and focus on putting on a show for the home fans. Polissya, while unlikely to turn the tie around, should still create chances and aim to find the net. A high-scoring game looks very likely.
Betting Tip: Total Over 3 Goals (Odds: 1.60) – Back a match with attacking intent from both sides, with at least three goals expected and potential for more.
