FC Basel hold the advantage as they welcome Fiorentina to St Jakob-Park for their Europa Conference League semi-final second leg. Both teams have looked off colour lately, especially at the back, so there are likely to be goals in this one.
Basel claimed the upper hand in the first meeting after picking up a 2-1 win at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. They fought back from behind with second half efforts from Andy Diouf and Zeki Amdouni earning them the win.
It was a surprising result for Basel, who have found things a bit difficult in recent weeks. Heiko Vogel’s men have lost two of their last three matches and warmed up for Thursday’s clash with a 6-1 defeat at St Gallen in a Super League fixture on Sunday.
Things are even worse at for Basel at St Jakob-Park as they are winless in their last five home matches. They have been beaten three times in that run, with a leaky backline conceding 11 goals along the way.
Fiorentina would have been left disappointed after throwing away the lead in the first meeting. They failed to build on Arthur Cabral’s effort midway through the first half and conceded twice after the break, including an injury time winner.
That result continues Fiorentina’s recent struggles as they have now claimed just one win in their last four matches across all competitions. However, the good news is that the win came in a Serie A fixture last Sunday as they travel to Basel with a 2-0 victory over Udinese.
While Fiorentina are hoping for a turnaround on Thursday, their recent record on the road has been slightly disappointing. Vincenzo Italiano’s men are winless in their last three away matches, conceding seven goals in that run.
How the bookies view it
Despite losing the first leg, Fiorentina are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies at 4/5 with Unibet. Basel have been installed as outsiders at home at 15/4 with bet365 while Paddy Power is offering odds 14/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Basel have never lost to Fiorentina with two wins and a draw from three previous meetings. Prior to last week’s first leg, both teams met during the 2015-16 Europa League with the Swiss side winning 2-1 in Florence before battling to a 2-2 draw at St Jakob-Park.
Players to watch
Zeki Amdouni could be worth keeping an eye on for Basel after netting the winner in the first leg. The forward has now found the net six times in his last five Conference League appearances and is priced at 29/10 with Unibet.
Arthur Cabral scored Fiorentina’s only goal last Thursday and will once again be the one tasked with providing the spark in attack. The striker has seven goals in his last nine Conference League matches and is priced at 7/5 by bet365 to find the net.
Anything else catch the eye?
Fiorentina have seen over 3.5 goals in three of their last four away matches and a similar outcome is priced at 39/20 by Unibet. All three previous meetings between teams have produced over 2.5 goals, which is valued at 7/10 by Unibet.
There have been more goals after the break in Basel’s last three matches and Thursday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 11/10 with Paddy Power. Both teams can also be tipped to score in the second half at 2/1 with William Hill.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between FC Basel and Fiorentina will be played on May 18, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best FC Basel vs Fiorentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
