St Gallen should be worried about what's coming as Fiorentina made the headlines again last weekend with another incredible performance.
St Gallen hadn't made the group stage of a UEFA tournament in over a decade. But their return didn't go as planned and the team was obliterated by a team that wasn't supposed to be that much stronger on paper.
The Swiss side is going through its worst period in years, winning one of its last six fixtures in all competitions. To make things worse, they have to face the back-to-back finalists from this competition – Fiorentina.
La Viola lost the last two finals and are considered one of the main favourites to appear in the late stages once again. Their shaky start of the new campaign is long forgotten now that the team won four of its last five fixtures. In fact, Fiorentina lost only once in the last ten games in all competitions.
The team kicked off its CL season with a 2-0 win over TNS, although that game could have easily been a 5-0 or more. Fiorentina made 28 goal attempts and kept TNS under 90 minutes of pressure with 75% possession.
How the bookies view it: Not a good look for the Swiss side
Bookmakers see Fiorentina as a clear favourite ahead of this game and Betano gave them 13/20 to win away. At the same time, they gave the home side 21/5 and estimated the draw at 3/1.
Recent head to head: There is a first time for everything
St Gallen and Fiorentina will face off for the first time in history. The Swiss side is not one to appear in Europe a lot.
Players to watch: Who will step up for La Viola?
Andrea Colpani has become a staple in Fiorentina's midfield and is coming off a brace against Lecce on Sunday. The odds may not yet be available everywhere but we believe that the Italian is one of the better picks with Moise Kean and Albert Gudmundsson on the sidelines. The delay is probably because Raffaele Palladino is expected to make a series of changes in order to protect his key players.
Probable line-ups
St Gallen: Ati-Zigi, Faber, Stanic, Fallci, Yannick, Stevanovic, Quintilla, Gortler, Toma, Mambimbi, Guebbels
Fiorentina: Terracciano, Kayode, Moreno, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi, Richardson, Adli, Colpani, Beltran, Sottil, Kouame
Anything else catch the eye?
The combination of St Gallen's poor defensive form and Fiorentina's effectiveness in attack suggests back-to-back success in the CL for the Italian squad. But the Swiss side is not one to stay back and defend, so expect over 2.5 goals too.
There is even potential for a St Gallen goal, especially if La Viola score a couple of goals in the first 60 minutes and we see early changes.
Raffaele Palladino will be thinking about the match against Roma later this week and he cannot afford to lose more of his core squad to injuries. This situation makes us believe that Fiorentina will try to secure the three points as early as possible, so you can also opt for a goal before half-time.
This UEFA Europa League Conference match between St Gallen and Fiorentina will be played on Oct 24, 2024 and kick off at 17:45. Check below for our tipsters best St Gallen vs Fiorentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
