Fiorentina vs Club Brugge Prediction 02.05.2024

• Competition: UEFA Europa Conference League - Semi-Finals 1st leg
• Date: Thursday, 2nd, May 2024
• Kickoff: 20:00 UTC +1 / 21.00 CEST
• Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi (Florence)

Fiorentina is determined to make back-to-back appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League final as they host dark horses Club Brugge in the first leg of the semi-final at the Artemio Franchi on Thursday.

Following their defeat last season at the hands of West Ham in the Europa Conference League final, where they became the first team to suffer losses in all UEFA's club competition finals, the Tuscan outfit is on a promising path to righting the wrongs in this year's edition. Despite facing unforeseen difficulties en route to the final four, the Purples deservedly reached this stage by overcoming a stubborn Viktoria Plzen in the quarter-finals, thanks to a comfortable 2-0 extra-time win.

In the battle for a second back-to-back final appearance in this tournament, Fiorentina will face Club Brugge, a side that undoubtedly represents the most pleasant surprise of this season's UEFA Europa Conference League. Indeed, Blauw-Zwart roared through the group stage like a bullet train, claiming the top spot with 16 out of a possible 18 points, and they continued at the same pace in the knockout rounds, going past Molde 4-2 on aggregate and knocking out Greek side PAOK with an impressive 3-0 to secure their first semis in any UEFA competition since the 1975-75 when they were UEFA Cup runners-up.

Fiorentina vs Club Brugge Betting Tips: FIORENTINA TO WIN

While they may be viewed as outsiders in the last four, Club Brugge shouldnot be written off lightly, but we still think they will ultimately return to their homeland with a slight deficit from the first leg. Ever since Nicky Hayen took the hot seat as interim manager, Blauw-Zwart have undergone a complete revival and appear unstoppable as they head to Tuscany with eight straight triumphs across all competitions, notching six clean sheets in the process. 

Thanks to an outsanding surge in form under the interim boss, Club Brugge has erased Anderlecth's eight-point deficit to impressively take the driver's seat in the race for the Jupiler Pro League title with four matches left to play. Unlike their knockout foes Molde and PAOK so far, the Belgian side will face an extremely tough test this time around and could have a bit to fear, given they have been unable to beat any Italian opposition in their last 11 such clashes (D3, L7). 

Last season's UECL runners-up Fiorentina have bolstered their morale and created a fantastic atmosphere at the Artemio Franchi ahead of the first-leg semifinal by blowing away relegation-threatened Sassuolo in a 5-1 hammering over the weekend to reignite their top-seven hopes through the league. Unbeaten since the start of the UECL group stage, tallying five wins and an equal number of draws, Viola will be confident they've done enough to earn a lead ahead of the return leg in Bruges, with their home comfort further easing their efforts.