Fiorentina and Celje on April 17, 2025, at the Stadio Artemio Franchi presents a compelling narrative in the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals. Fiorentina enters this match with a slight advantage, having secured a 1-0 victory in the first leg . The home team boasts an impressive record in this competition, which further bolsters their chances of advancing to the next round. However, manager Palladino's potential rotation of players could introduce unpredictability into their performance .
Celje in the second leg of the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals on Thursday. This match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi comes with our prediction of both teams scoring goals. The winner of this tie will face the winner of Real Betis vs Jagiellonia Bialystok in the semis.
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La Viola carry a 2-1 lead from last week’s first leg, where goals in the 27th and 62nd minutes gave them a winning lead, although they conceded a 68th-minute penalty. They followed it with a 0-0 home draw against Parma in Serie A at the weekend, leaving them outside European qualification spots. Fiorentina possible starting lineup: De Gea; Pongracic, Comuzzo, Ranieri; Folorunsho, Mandragora, Cataldi, Adli, Parisi; Beltran, Kean
Celje possible starting lineup: Silva; Nieto, Vuklisevic, Nemanic; Matko, Zabukovnik, Svetlin, Karnicnik; Delaurier-Chaubet, Kvesic; Seslar
Fiorentina . As both teams prepare for this pivotal encounter, questions linger about Fiorentina's shot profile and whether they can rectify their previous shortcomings in attack .
Despite Sunday's Serie A blank against Parma, Fiorentina should secure a comfortable victory against Celje. Celje's poor European away form and Fiorentina's strong home scoring record suggest a win for Palladino's side.However, don't expect a goal-fest. Fiorentina, while potent at home, have shown a tendency to conserve energy in these early Conference League qualifiers. A clean sheet is also on the cards, given Celje's likely defensive approach and Fiorentina's solid backline. Expect Fiorentina to control possession and dictate the tempo, patiently waiting for openings in the Celje defence. A 2-0 or 3-0 victory seems the most probable outcome, allowing Fiorentina to travel to Slovenia for the second leg with a healthy advantage. Palladino will likely use the opportunity to rotate his squad, giving valuable minutes to fringe players while ensuring key men are fresh for the upcoming Serie A campaign.
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