Our prediction for this Europa Conference League match:
Fiorentina
Match Time & Date:
11/05/2023
21:00
Prediction: 2-1
Basel
Fiorentina and Basel face each other at Stadio Artemio Franchi in what is expected to be an interesting Conference League semifinal. The Viola are seen as hot favourites to win the first leg, but they will have to prove their worth on the field. Defender Lucas Martinez Quarta is back from the Serie A suspension, while both Salvatore Sirigu and Arthur Cabral miss out with injuries.
The RotBlau, on the other hand, did well to shock Nice in the quarter-finals, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry against Fiorentina, who are a real force to be reckoned with at home. Considering that Basel failed to impress in a 2-0 loss to Zurich, we predict that the hosts are going to emerge triumphant in Thursday’s clash. Sergio Lopez is back to the starting XI after missing the Nice game through suspension. The two teams meet for the first time since November 2015 when they played out a 2-2 draw in the Europa League group stages.
Highlighted Player (Christian Kouame):
Christian Kouame is an Ivory Coast international who has been playing for Serie A side Genoa since 2018. Kouame started his youth career at Prato and after ending his loan spells with the likes of Sassuolo and Inter, he returned to Stadio Lungobisenzio.
The 185-cm-tall forward made his professional debut with Prato on September 6, 2015 in a 2-1 loss to Pisa. Christian Kouame started the match, but he was replaced by Alberto Aladje after 66 minutes. The Genoa attacker, though, has yet to earn a call-up for the Ivory Coast national team. He has two caps for the Ivory Coast U23 team, but he is still eyeing his senior team debut.
His main position is centre-forward, but he is used as both left and right winger as well. The Genoa footballer was born in Abijan on December 6, 1997 and he has a contract with the Rossoblu until June 30, 2023.
Highlighted Team (Basel):
One of the most successful football clubs in Switzerland, FC Basel were founded in 1893. The RotBlau as they are referred to by the Swiss play their games at the St. Jacob Park in Basel in front of 37,500 people which is the maximum capacity of the venue.
The 19-time Swiss champions have endured difficult times in 1980s which ultimately led to relegation from the top flight in 1987. FC Basel returned to the top tier of Swiss football in 2000s to win their first league title in 22 years and go on to win it nine more times over 13 seasons since 2002. The golden times for FC Basel brought European inclusion in every season since 1999-2000 with a pinnacle being the semi-finals of the Europa League in 2012-13.
The RotBlau have so far played over 95 UEFA Champions League games, winning almost half of their European outings. The Swiss club has produced plenty of talented players who went on to become prominent footballers all across Europe with Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka being the most outstanding members of the latest generation.
Barcelona
Las Palmas 
Crystal Palace
Newcastle 
Borussia Dortmund 
Bayern Munich 
West Ham
Arsenal
Chelsea 
Aston Villa 
Manchester United 
Everton
