Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the Conference League match.
Fiorentina’s impressive run of results does not yet guarantee a third consecutive appearance in the Europa Conference League final. Nonetheless, there is little doubt about their chances in the quarter-finals tie against Celje, who reached this stage of European competition against all odds.
Celje
Despite a four-match winning streak, Celje have consistently allowed numerous chances in their defensive third during European fixtures. In the previous round against Lugano (aggregate score 6:5), the team conceded 2.84 xGA and faced eight shots on target over 120 minutes in the second leg. Against this squad, it's evident that it doesn't take a high volume of chances to find the net. Klemen Nemanic is set to return to the line-up, but top scorer Armandas Kučys, who has tallied six goals and two assists in the competition, remains sidelined after sustaining a knee injury during the international break.
Fiorentina
Since their away match in Naples a month ago, where Fiorentina put up a fight against Serie A leaders SSC Napoli (1:2), the team have shown consistent attacking intent in every outing. Over their last four fixtures, Fiorentina have recorded three victories and netted a total of nine goals — Juventus were hit hardest in a 3:0 defeat. In the second leg against Panathinaikos (3:1), Fiorentina managed nine shots on target, further underlining the coaching staff's ability to inject momentum from the bench.
Celje vs Fiorentina Prediction
Celje appear to have reached their ceiling in this year’s European campaign, while Fiorentina’s potential still seems far from fully realised. We are backing Fiorentina to win with a handicap.
