Brugge vs Fiorentina: Betting Odds & Prediction
(Featured image: Alamy Images)
Club Brugge welcome Fiorentina to the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges this Wednesday for the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final tie.
The Belgians trail 3-2 after last week’s first leg in Florence. The match kicks off at 5.45pm UK time.
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Club Brugge
Club Brugge have bounced back well this season following their worst finish (4th) domestically in 12 years last season. They currently sit top of the Belgian top flight and are looking good for the title and a Champions League berth. However, if they are to reach their first European final since the 1970s, the Blauw-Zwart’s powers of resilience will need to come to the fore once again. They looked to have secured a hard fought 2-2 in Florence last Thursday, especially after the sending-off of midfielder Raphael Onyedika midway through the second half. However, an injury-time winner from Fiorentina sub, M'Bala Nzola, would break Brugge hearts and leave them with plenty on their plate in the second leg.
The first leg loss brought an end to Brugge’s eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions, which included a seven-game winning streak. In fact, it was their first defeat since Nicky Hayen took over as caretaker boss in mid-March. Brugge didn’t let the Florence furore faze them too much though, as they returned to winning ways domestically beating defending Belgian champions Antwerp 2-1 on the road on Sunday. That’s the 15th straight match that Brugge have netted in, so they’ll be positive about posing a goal threat to Fiorentina in this return leg. They’ve scored on average 2.57 goals in their last seven matches. That’s pretty similar to their scoring average in Europa Conference League games recently, which was 2.42 in their last seven UECL starts.
As well as playing catch-up at the Jan Breydel Stadium, Brugge also know they’ll need to keep it tight. They cannot afford to allow Fiorentina to slot home another two or three. A positive for the Belgians is that they have been hard to break down on their own patch. Brugge have won six games on the spin at home in all competitions, conceding just two goals during that run. Their home form in the Europa Conference League specifically has been mightily impressive. They’ve not lost at home in Europe all season, winning six games and drawing twice. Brugge only conceded on average 0.62 goals per game during those eight matches.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina have not let last year’s heartbreaking defeat to West Ham in the Europa Conference League Final crush their spirit. In fact, it might have made them more determined to succeed in Europe this season. They are now just one win or good performance away from reaching the final once again. A little concerning for Fiorentina is that they might need to win the trophy in order to feature in Europe next season. ‘I Viola’ are currently scrapping to qualify for European qualifying spots and Sunday’s defeat against Verona definitely didn’t help their cause.
If recent Fiorentina matches are anything to go by, we should be in for another thriller, like we witnessed in the first leg. Their last four matches in all competitions have yielded 19 goals, so an average of 4.75 match goals per game. Fiorentina’s match average in the whole Europa Conference League campaign so far has been exactly three goals per game.
The form of Vincenzo Italiano’s men on the road has been a worry of late for Fiorentina fans. They’ve won only two of their last 12 matches away from the Stadio Artemio Franchi, conceding an average of 1.66 goals per game during those encounters. However, their only away defeat in Europe came against Rapid Vienna during the qualifying phase of the Europa Conference League back in August. They would win the subsequent second leg at home and progress of course.
Prediction
Brugge have scored 2 or more goals in their last seven encounters and I can’t see them stopping or being stopped in front of their fervent fans at the Jan Breydel Stadium. However, they will find it hard to keep a Fiorentina team, who have scored in seven straight games, at bay too. I’m expecting another action-packed semi-final thriller.