Fiorentina vs Viktoria Plzen Prediction 18.04.2024

• Competition: UEFA Europa Conference League - Quarter-Finals 2nd leg
• Date: Thursday, 18th, April 2024
• Kickoff: 17:45 UTC +1 / 18.45 CEST
• Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi (Florence)

After a relatively dull first match, Fiorentina and Viktoria Plzen are set to battle it out again in the return leg of the Europa Conference League quarterfinals at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Thursday.

Fiorentina vs Viktoria Plzen Betting Tips: FIORENTINA TO WIN

Throughout the first leg staged at the Doosan Arena, the Purples thoroughly outplayed their Czech counterparts in every department, yet their lack of precision in front of goal meant they couldn't convert any of their shots into goals, resulting in a frustrating 0-0 stalemate.

As they strive to finish the job in front of their faithful fanbase and continue their march towards consecutive finals of UEFA's youngest competition, the Tuscan outfit must first sharpen things up in the final third, having failed to find the back of the net more than once in their last six straight competitive matches.

Amidst their goal-scoring drought, Vincenzo Italiano's crew came out on top on only one occasion when Mandragora's solitary winner earned them a quiet led against Atalanta in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, after which they endured three contests without tasting victory (D2, L1).

Recent results in Florence have been far from stellar in recent times, with only a third of their last nine home matches ending in victory in any category, but netting in seven straight matches on their own turf should give Fiorentina the wind in their sails to surpass the stubborn defensive Czech side.

Undoubtedly, the Serie A outfit will need to break a sweat to get past the hurdle posed by Plzen, a side that has proven to be a tough nut to crack in this year's third edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League, as they have yet to find themselves on the wrong end of the scoreline in 15 European outings, including qualifiers (W12, D3).

Following their admirable effort in holding Fiorentina to a goalles draw on Czech soil, Miroslav Koubek's men once again relied on their defensive toughness to topple Slavia Prague from the summit of the Fortuna Liga with a late 1-0 victory, continuing their streak of not conceding goals to four matches in any competition.

Having illuminated the scoreboard just once in the past 360+ minutes of action, Viktoria will undoubtedly lean on their steel-clad backline to at least force a replay of the UECL round of 16, reminiscent of when they sent Servette packing after a 0-0 two-legged affair via penalty shootouts. While the Czech visitors aim to disrupt the rhythm of the Florence outfit, we hope the purple-clad warriors will find a way to breach Plzen's defensive wall to continue their charge towards tournament glory.