Fiorentina go into Thursday night’s UEFA Europa League clash with Belenenses, knowing that only victory will guarantee them qualification to the last 32 of the competition.
There are many permutations to be considered by the Fiorentina coach, Paulo Sousa, going into Match Day 6 of the UEFA Europa League. However, Sousa knows that victory will guarantee their progression to the last 32. Their opponents will be buoyed by the knowledge that victory over the Viola, coupled with a Basel victory over Lech Poznan, would see them safely through to the knock-out phase. Meanwhile, Lech know that if they beat Basel, and Fiorentina lose to Belenenses, then the scores in the Match Day 6 games will decide who goes through to the last 32.
To ensure qualification is dependent on their own results, Viola coach, Paulo Sousa, will have little choice but to play his strongest team against the Portuguese opponents. However, the looming prospect of travelling to Juventus in Serie A on Sunday evening might also influence his decision-making. That Fiorentina must win to qualify is, it could be argued, due to their poor performance in earlier matches in the group, particularly the defeats in their home games against Basel and Lech Poznan.
Their opponents have scored in only one of their five group games (a 2-1 victory away at Basel), and Fiorentina should be confident of qualification. However, the Viola will need to be wary of their opponents who have yet to lose on their travels in the group stage, and their counter-attacking style, led by the likes of Luis Leal, Fabio Sturgeon, Kuca and Tiago Silva. Much will depend on the Viola forward trio Borja Valero, Josep Ilicic and Nikola Kalinic; the latter will be looking to extend his excellent goal-scoring record this season. Meanwhile, Viola and Azzurrini up-and-coming star, Federico Bernardeschi, will be looking to continue his excellent Europa League form following his two goals against Basel in the previous group fixture.
Whilst qualification would be undoubtedly welcomed by the Viola fans, the wider impact of their qualification must also be considered. If they progress to the Semi-Final stage like last season, the financial reward in terms of prize money and gate receipts would be in the region of €10m. Given there are rumours abound that Sousa will look to strengthen his squad in January, that cash injection will almost certainly contribute to the cost of any new acquisitions. With the Viola almost certainly looking to challenge on three fronts this season, additional manpower will be crucial however, one must also consider whether qualification for the Europa League might also have a detrimental impact on their Scudetto ambitions.
The travails of playing Thursday/Sunday on a weekly basis – whether Europa League or Coppa Italia matches – will undoubtedly take its toll, not least given the travel that is involved in such matches. That they are playing Juventus on Sunday is, some argue, unfair when one considers that their opponents played in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, therefore providing them with 2 days further preparation and rest for one of the most crucial and tense matches in the calendar. That Serie A saw fit to allow Juventus to play Lazio on Friday evening, to allow them further preparation time for their Champions League trip to Sevilla only increases the injustice; Juventus will have played 3 games in 10 days, to the Viola’s 3 in 8 days. Many would justifiably argue that the Juventus game should have been moved to Monday night out of fairness to the Viola.
There is an added, much wider, ramification surrounding Fiorentina’s qualification for the Europa League knock-out stage; that of the co-efficient performance. If Serie A are to fulfil their collective ambition of retrieving its fourth Champions League spot, then the qualification and progression of Fiorentina, Lazio and Napoli in the Europa League will be crucial to that.
Save for the injured Jakub Blaszczykowski, and the suspended Facundo Roncaglia, Paulo Sousa has all players available from which to select his match day squad. It is likely that one of Nenad Tomovic or Manuel Pasqual will come into the three-man defence for the suspended Roncaglia, with the Serbian the favourite to do so.
At today’s press conference, here are the main points discussed by Sousa on the eve of the Europa League clash.
“We must remain concentrated, whoever plays must only think of winning from the start. Tomorrow Belenenses can make history for their club, they have already won away at Basel and it’s for this reason we must be vigilant.”
“Regarding the roster there are several option, Rossi and Babacar can play together as a duo. Tomorrow’s game is very important and we must work hard.”
“Our opponent will try to counter attack and make us defend, while we try to make plays. If we play intense and with speed it will allow us to score and create chances to bring home the win.”
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