3 minute read
West Ham will face Italian side Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in Prague on Wednesday night.
Key stats
Goals have been a feature of both teams' matches. There have been three or more goals scored in 12 of Fiorentina's last 13 UEFA matches. Nine of West Ham's 14 European matches have featured three or more goals.
Fiorentina dominate the top goal scorers list in the competition. Arthur Cabral (7), Luka Jovic (6), Nicolas Gonzalez (5) and Antonin Barak (5) are all joint fifth or higher in the rankings. Michail Antonio is joint second with six goals for West Ham.
Fiorentina have played 12 matches against English sides in European competition. They've won six, drawn three and lost three, most recently beating Tottenham over two legs in 2015.
West Ham have met an Italian side twice in UEFA competition, losing back-to-back games against Palermo in the 2006/07 season.
English sides have won 104, drawn 63 and lost 92 of their meetings with Italian sides in European Cup competitions.
Since the knockout stages began, Fiorentina have found the net 21 times inside 90 minutes and West Ham have scored 14 times. Combined, 68% of their goals have come in the second half.
VerdictFiorentina and West Ham will contest the second UEFA Europa Conference League final, with the Irons featuring in a European final for the first time since 1976.
Fiorentina beat FC Basel 4-3 on aggregate to reach the final. After losing the home leg by way of a 90th-minute goal, the Italians got the ultimate payback, scoring a 120th-minute winner in Basel.
West Ham also had to come from behind in their tie, trailing 1-0 at the break in the first leg - they went on to win 2-1 in London. It took until stoppage time of the second leg to seal the deal.
Not only have these teams been hard to beat, but they've also been entertaining to watch. Fiorentina have banged in 22 goals in eight knockout matches thus far.
Like their Italian counterparts, West Ham have left a lot of their scoring until the second half, when nine of their 14 knockout goals have been scored.
The Irons haven't conceded too many, allowing just three goals across their six knockout matches. They'll more than meet their match in Fiorentina, though, a team which has scored 38 goals since the competition began.
If everything goes to plan, then both sides may spend the early stages of the game feeling each other out, leading to a slow start and a low-scoring first half.
It's worth noting that Fiorentina have both scored and conceded in their last five European matches, with those games featuring 22 goals. Top scorer Arthur Cabral scored three of those.
West Ham's leading man Michail Antonio has found the net three times in three games, so it's worth a small gamble on a big price for final night. Backing Cabral and Antonio both to score is an option.
If you're looking for a safer bet, then we're going to follow the trends and embrace the possibility of goals coming in the second half.
Backing the second half to be the highest-scoring half appeals, while both teams to score also looks like a solid selection.
Suggested bets
Highest scoring half: Second half
Both teams to score
Second-half goals: Over 1.5
Arthur Cabral & Michail Antonio both to score