Data drop: Everything you need to know about tonight’s Europa Conference League final
The second-ever Europa Conference League final promises to be a tantalising affair — with Fiorentina and West Ham United offered a rare chance at silverware.
David Moyes’ side have endured a poor Premier League campaign but can more than make up for that by securing a first major piece of European silverware since 1965.
Vincenzo Italiano’s men are in a similar position — they have not won a major continental title since the 1960-61 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
We used the Twenty3 Toolbox to analyse the two sides ahead of the final at the Fortuna Arena in Prague.
Goals galore
These two sides have been lethal in this competition and possess plenty of capable attackers — this final could prove to be a thrilling, high-scoring affair.
The Premier League side have scored 34 goals in the Conference League (2.36 per 90), while La Viola have put the ball in the back of the net 38 times in the competition (2.38 per 90).
Fiorentina’s superior tally can be attributed to the two extra games they were forced to play after finishing second in Group A — but they still maintained a higher per-90 rate than West Ham.
Both sides have typically got on the scoresheet with ease when playing continental football this season — there could be goals galore in Prague.
Plenty of warning
The high stakes for both clubs will undoubtedly lead to raised tensions — and could result in an increase in bookings as rash challenges go in.
Overall, Fiorentina have found themselves on the wrong side of the referee more often, being shown 42 yellow cards, while West Ham have received 28.
The Italian outfit’s rate of 2.63 yellow cards per match is a significant increase on the two their English opponents collect each game on average.
The final is unlikely to see either side’s discipline improve.
Fiorentina’s firepower
Fiorentina have been lethal in Europe’s third tier.
They are the competition’s top-scoring team (38) and possess the competition’s joint-top scoring player in Arthur Cabral (seven) — the Brazilian could be the man to make the difference in the final.
La Viola have more than one source of goals, however, as Luka Jovic also has six strikes to his name in the competition.
However, four of those were scored in the group stages and he has not scored in any of his last five outings, with his threat dwindling the deeper Fiorentina have progressed.
Nicolás González could also make an impact — his brace against Basel in the semi-final second leg helped his side come back from behind to reach the final.
Hammers threat
The Hammers certainly possess dangerous forwards of their own.
Michail Antonio has endured a disappointing Premier League campaign, but has found plenty of joy in the Conference League, scoring six times.
The Premier League side boast goal threat from the flanks, too — Jarrod Bowen (five) and Said Benrahma (two) have both played their part in the impressive Conference League run.
The pair could cause plenty of chaos from out wide in Prague.
Conference League champions
Fiorentina are likely to play on the front foot in the final, with West Ham looking to hit them on the break.
La Viola’s quality from wide areas could cause the Hammers problems, given they have completed more crosses than any other side in the competition (145).
However, West Ham are yet to lose a game in the Conference League this season, winning 13 of their 14 games and drawing the other – Fiorentina, meanwhile, have lost three times so far, with two of those defeats coming in their last four games in the competition.
All visualisations and Smart Reports in this article were produced with the Twenty3 Toolbox. For more information, please get in touch below.