UEFA Conference League Final Preview: Olympiacos at home for the first European trophy, Fiorentina seeks redemption

Olympiacos and Fiorentina are set to face off in the Athens final of the UEFA Conference League. This match holds historical significance for both teams: one has never won an international UEFA competition, while the other has been waiting over 60 years for a trophy.

Neither team was listed among the favourites to reach the final. The Italian representative, Fiorentina, will be hoping to lift the trophy of UEFA's newest club competition for the second consecutive year, after last years heartbrake in Final against West Ham.

Olympiacos, led by a European trophy-winning coach, will play in a match of immense importance for the red-and-white part of Athens.

Fiorentina remains unbeaten this season in Europe. Florence side won Group B in the Conference League and in the knockout phase successively eliminated Maccabi Haifa, Viktoria Plzen, and finally, Club Brugge with an aggregate score of 4-3 in the semi-finals.

On the other hand, the team under the guidance of José Luis Mendilibar reached the Conference League after finishing third in the Europa League. The Athens-based team then knocked out Ferencvaros, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Fenerbahce, and Aston Villa.

In the last two ties, Olympiacos was the underdog but showed dominance.

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This was especially evident in the matchup against Aston Villa. The fourth-placed Premier League team and next season’s Champions League participant was eliminated with an aggregate score of 6-2.

Both teams are dealing with injury issues, but their key players are expected to be ready. For Olympiacos, their hero Ayoub El Kaabi, who has scored 32 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions this season, will be crucial.

El Kaabi has certainly caught the eye of Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Italiano. "Their centre-forward is scoring consistently, and his team can close up and counter very effectively," he said after sitting down with a pizza to watch the Moroccan dismantle Aston Villa in the last four.

"They are a strong, aggressive team, and if they can beat Villa home and away, that means they have real quality."

For Fiorentina, Riccardo Sottil is struggling with a shoulder injury and is expected to miss the final. This means the attack will likely be led by long-time international and former Torino player Andrea Belotti.

European success

The two teams have never met in European competitions, despite their rich histories in UEFA tournaments.

Olympiacos is only the second Greek team to play in a European final. Before them, their local rivals Panathinaikos reached the UEFA European Cup final in 1971 but lost to Ajax 2-0.

Fiorentina, on the other hand, won the Cup Winners' Cup back in 1961.

Olympiacos as Hosts

Although the match won't be played at their home stadium, Olympiacos players will likely feel at home. The venue, the Agia Sophia Stadium, home to AEK, is just a short distance from Piraeus, Olympiacos' base.

Moreover, their coach Mendilibar knows how to win European competitions, especially against Italian clubs.

In 2023, he led Sevilla to victory over Roma in the Budapest final. After a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of football, Sevilla won 4-1 on penalties.

Mendilibar took charge of Olympiacos on 12 February 2024, and has since led the team on its path to a European final.

He admitted: "When I came to Olympiacos, I didn't expect we'd go so far in Europe. I was gathering information about the team. However, I slowly started believing that we could do well in the league and in Europe. It is a huge source of joy to come this far – for all of us who are trying every day on the pitch and, above all, for the fans of Olympiacos."

Statistics

Olympiacos have lost six of their last seven matches in European competition against Italian opposition, with the exception being a 3-1 home win over Milan in the 2018-19 UEFA Europa League group stage.

However, the Greek side has only won more games in major European competition against English (12) and French (11) opponents than Italian (7).

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Key Information

The final will be held at the Agia Sophia Stadium, also known as the OPAP Arena, in Nea Filadelfeia, Greece.

Portugal's Artur Soares Dias will referee the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final between Olympiacos and Fiorentina. The Portuguese has been an international referee since 2010 and will be taking charge of his first UEFA club competition final.

This season, the 44-year-old has officiated four UEFA Champions League matches and two UEFA Europa League matches, including this season's quarter-final first leg between Leverkusen and West Ham.

The game will kick off at 21:00 CEST (22:00 local time).

photo: UEFA Conference League, X.

Possible starting line-ups

Olympiacos: Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, David Carmo, Ortega; Chiquinho, Iborra, Hezze; Podence, El Kaabi, Fortounis

Fiorentina: Terracciano; Dodô, Martínez Quarta, Milenković, Biraghi; Mandragora, Bonaventura; González, Beltrán, Kouamé; Belotti Out: Sottil (shoulder)

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