Comments and predictions for Fiorentina vs Real Betis: Brain-teasing until the last minute
The match between Fiorentina vs Real Betis in the Conference League takes place at 2:00 a.m. on May 9. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes performance, makes football comments and predicts the score.
Latest Fiorentina vs Real Betis team information
As usual, coach Raffaele Palladino continued to rotate his squad between Conference League matches. Notably, he brought Moise Kean – the main striker – back into the squad and replaced captain Luca Ranieri (suspended) with Pablo Mari in the match against Roma.
However, Mari is ineligible to play in European competition due to not being on the UEFA list, so Ranieri is likely to return to starting in a back three.
Nicolo Zaniolo partnered Kean against Roma – where he fell out of favour with the fans – before being sent off at the final whistle, so Albert Gudmundsson or Lucas Beltran are likely to partner Kean up front in the return leg.
The team's number one right winger, Dodo, has fully recovered from appendicitis surgery and could return to the starting line-up. Danilo Cataldi is the only injury doubt, having picked up a thigh injury in the first leg.
On Real Betis' side, coach Pellegrini can bring Ezzalzouli back into the starting lineup after an impressive performance in the first leg when he was unexpectedly chosen to replace Jesus Rodriguez and did not disappoint the coach's trust.
Cedric Bakambu and Isco are also competing for a starting spot up front, where Antony is sure to be involved. After last weekend's win over Espanyol, Isco has 11 goals and eight assists, while Antony has seven goals and four assists since his mid-season move from Manchester United.
Once again, the visitors will be without Chimy Avila, Marc Roca and Diego Llorente through injury.
Latest expected lineup Fiorentina vs Real Betis
Fiorentina:
De Gea; Pongracic, Comuzzo, Ranieri; Dodo, Fagioli, Adli, Mandragora, Gosens; Gudmundsson, Kean
Real Betis:
Adrian; Ruibal, Bartra, Natan, Rodriguez; Cardoso, Fornals; Antony, Isco, Ezzalzouli; Bakambu
Latest football commentary on Fiorentina vs Real Betis
After falling behind after just six minutes and losing by two goals with just over an hour gone, Fiorentina recovered somewhat at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, but still suffered a 2-1 defeat in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final.
After goals from Abde Ezzalzouli and Antony gave Real Betis the lead, Fiorentina captain Luca Ranieri reduced the gap after an assist from Robin Gosens, keeping the Italians' hopes of turning the game around.
Despite the loss, Fiorentina still have a chance to reach the final for the third consecutive time, after two defeats against West Ham United and Olympiacos in previous seasons.
This season, after qualifying, Fiorentina finished third in the new group stage, then eliminated Panathina and Celje in turn to meet the in-form opponent from La Liga in the semi-finals.
Last week’s defeat also marked the fifth consecutive UEFA semi-final in which the Tuscans have failed to overcome Spanish opposition, and they must end this disappointing run if they are to progress at the Stadio Franchi.
Before losing to Betis, Raffaele Palladino's side had recovered from a slump to maintain a six-game unbeaten run in Serie A. But they have now lost two games in a week, following a 1-0 defeat to Roma last weekend.
Despite Moise Kean and Rolando Mandragora both having dangerous chances, Fiorentina could not score, all but ending their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League and making the second leg more stressful than ever.
While Fiorentina are struggling to find their way back to Europe, Real Betis have been resurgent in recent months and still have a chance to compete for a Champions League spot.
They continued that run on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Espanyol thanks to two late goals, Giovani Lo Celso equalising in the 85th minute before Antony sealed the win with a fine curling effort.
Having lost just one of their last 15 games in all competitions, Betis are currently sixth in La Liga, just a point off the top five and also in pole position for the Conference League semi-finals.
After years of watching Sevilla dominate the Europa League, Betis are desperate to reach a European final for the first time.
Despite finishing 15th in the group stage, Manuel Pellegrini's side overcame Gent in the play-offs, then beat Vitoria Guimaraes and Jagiellonia Bialystok to reach the semi-finals – but they are still far from satisfied.
Despite home advantage and the enthusiastic support of the Benito Villamarin fans, the one-goal lead leaves Pellegrini with plenty to worry about ahead of the decisive second leg.
Latest score prediction Fiorentina vs Real Betis
Based on the above football comments, we and the world's leading football sites have given the results of the match.Fiorentina vs Real Betisas follows:
- Sportsmole:Fiorentina 1-2 Real Betis
- WhoScore:Fiorentina 1-1 Real Betis
- Our newspaper predicts:Fiorentina 2-2 Real Betis
When and where to watch Fiorentina vs Real Betis live?
To watch the live match Fiorentina vs Real Betis in the Conference League taking place at 2:00 a.m. on May 9, viewers can watch onK+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. Wish you have fun watching football.
