Conference League: Fiorentina-West Ham LIVE FROM 21.00
Tonight in Prague the final with the English, the Italian team chasing the trophy.
Eve. Thinking of history, of a city in turmoil, of the effect that can raise a European cup and bring it back to Florence can only confuse ideas. Better, getting off the bus that arrived at the Slavia stadium in the evening, breathing in the warm air of Prague spring and not thinking about it too much. Tomorrow evening Fiorentina will play the second of the three European finals of Italian football, their second final of the season. The first, in the Italian Cup, against Inter, went badly. The second can determine the sign of an entire year, but also the sign of the future. The match against West Ham is one of those matches where everyone knows they are playing for a piece of the future, both individually and collectively. This is the case for Vincenzo Italiano, who is celebrating the fifth anniversary of his victory in the Serie D playoffs with Arzignano Valchiampo in these days. Going from the Veneto amateurs to a European final in five years is another reason to get dizzy. But this is the case for Commisso, who he hopes to give the square a trophy. This is the case for players who all arrive, more or less, at a fundamental junction in their career. This is the case for a company that has to decide what it wants to be when it grows up.
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“I am very happy – says Italiano – to have the opportunity to play in a final with these extraordinary boys and this incredible club. These are matches that go down in history. We play all our cards, we arrive loaded and confident, above all thanks to the great second round. We obviously know we’re facing a team of great value. We have heart, we’ve shown it and tomorrow he must be put on the pitch.” It will also be a challenge between two very different teams: Fiorentina play proactive football, West Ham is a treasure trove that is difficult to unhinge, or at least it was in the Conference League, despite a so-so premiership. The Italian is thinking about how to deal with it, but hasn’t yet removed all doubts, starting with the catchphrase that accompanied the whole season: Jovic or Cabral for the center of the attack? The doubt will also remain for the last decisive act of the season, with the two who could, at a certain point, even play together if the situation requires it. The one who won’t be there is Gaetano Castrovilli and this can only be bad news, given that in recent months he was rediscovering the form that had launched him as one of the most beautiful realities of young Italian football, before being battered by physical problems . But a final is a final and Italiano knows that whoever plays won’t particularly need to be motivated. “To play a game like this – says the coach – you have to be free in the mental aspect, play with a clear mind. The experience of the Coppa Italia can help us: we had a blackout, but then we got back into the game”. And if captain Cristiano Biraghi’s heart were to beat tomorrow evening at the time of a rising cup, thoughts will also return to 4 March 2018, when the heart of another captain, Davide Astori, stopped. Biraghi himself and Nikola Milenkovic recalled it in the pre-match press conference. Both were there that day. “Davide – says Biraghi – is always with us: what is certain is that tomorrow evening we will leave the field without regrets and maybe we won’t even have the strength to get to the changing rooms”. An entire city with them: six thousand at the stadium, many more in Prague. All the others to drive away a nightmare that has lasted for 33 years.
Source: Ansa
Brayden White, a veteran sports writer at Global Happening, brings his wealth of knowledge and expertise to the sports section. With over a decade of experience, he is committed to delivering high-quality coverage of the latest games and events.
