Genk and Fiorentina begin their UEFA Europa League campaign with a Group F clash on Thursday. Genk are enjoying a fine start to the season and are expected to make things difficult but are likely to come up short against the quality of La Viola, who played in last season’s final.
Genk have played in every European competition this season after crashing from the Champions League qualifiers all the way down to the Conference League. They needed penalties to overcome Turkish side Adana Demirspor in the playoffs after battling to a 2-2 aggregate draw.
The Belgian side have endured a mixed start to the season and head into Thursday’s clash with just two wins in their last six matches across all competitions. One of these wins came last weekend as they picked up a 2-0 victory at Union Saint-Gilloise in a Jupiler Pro League fixture.
One of the problems for Genk is a poor record at home having claimed just one win in their last six matches across all competitions at Cegeka Arena. Wouter Vrancken’s men have also struggled defensively having kept just one clean sheet in that run.
Defeat in last season’s final would have left Fiorentina disappointed and they will be looking to set things right by going one better this time around. They went straight into the playoffs of this year’s competition, claiming a 2-1 aggregate win over Rapid Vienna to secure a place in the group stage.
Fiorentina have made a decent enough start to the season having season, losing just once in four Serie A matches. Manager Vincenzo Italiano will be particularly pleased with last weekend’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Atalanta which will give them confidence heading into Thursday’s clash.
While getting a win will be pleasing to fans of Fiorentina, the result highlights a problem that has plagued them in recent times. They have struggled to keep things tight at the back and have kept just one clean sheet in their last six matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it
Fiorentina have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 13/10 by bet365 to claim the win. A victory for Genk is valued at 21/10 by 10bet while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by William Hill.
Head to head
This will be the first ever meeting between Genk and Fiorentina.
Players to watch
Toluwalase Arokodare has impressed for Genk in Europe this season scoring goals in matches across all three tiers. The striker has also been on target in two of the last three matches and is priced at 12/5 by bet365 to maintain his scoring run on Thursday.
Nicolas Gonzalez will be the one to watch for Fiorentina having scored four times in his last four matches across all competitions. The striker also netted both goals in the playoff win over Rapid Vienna and is priced at 13/5 by William Hill to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither team has shown much defensive solidity in recent times and with Fiorentina seeing over 3.5 goals last weekend, a repeat could be on the cards at 11/5 with Paddy Power. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 17/20 with bet365.
Genk and Fiorentina often make fast starts and both teams could be backed to score in the first half at 10/3 with bet365. However, La Viola could also be tipped to open the scoring at 10/11 with Paddy Power.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between Genk and Fiorentina will be played on Sep 21, 2023 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best Genk vs Fiorentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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