Real Betis vs Fiorentina

On Thursday evening, Real Betis will face Fiorentina at the Estadio Benito Villamarin in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final.

Fresh off a 3-1 quarter-final victory, the home side is eager to advance, while Fiorentina aims to reach their third consecutive final in the competition.

Real Betis has had an up-and-down 2024-25 season, fluctuating between sixth and 12th in La Liga, but recent weeks have shown a strong turnaround. With only one defeat in their last 13 matches across all competitions, Betis now sits sixth in La Liga, eight points ahead of seventh-placed Celta Vigo and just one point shy of the top five, while also earning a spot in the Conference League semi-finals.

Despite finishing 15th in the competition’s League Phase, Manuel Pellegrini’s team has exceeded expectations to reach this stage. Now, they’re focused on capturing their first major European trophy. Betis progressed past Gent 3-1 on aggregate in the knockout playoff, Vitoria de Guimaraes 6-2 in the round of 16, and Jagiellonia Bialystok 3-1 in the quarter-finals, making this clash with Fiorentina their most challenging yet.

Boosted by their recent form and home advantage, Betis is confident, but they face a seasoned Fiorentina side with back-to-back final appearances in the competition. The Violets fell 2-1 to West Ham United in the 2022-23 final, conceding a 90th-minute goal to Jarrod Bowen, and suffered a 1-0 loss to Olympiacos in 2023-24 after a 116th-minute strike by Ayoub El Kaabi.

Under Raffaele Palladino, appointed in July 2024, Fiorentina is determined to claim the Conference League title this season. Their strong campaign includes a third-place finish in the League Phase, along with victories over Panathinaikos in the round of 16 and Celje in the quarter-finals.

Those successes have coincided with a nine-match unbeaten streak for the Violets, who have six wins and three draws in that period, putting them in excellent condition heading into this encounter.

However, Fiorentina's away record in the Conference League this season may be cause for concern, as they have won two, drawn one, and lost two games in Europe.