Fiorentina vs West Ham final facts

Fiorentina and West Ham United meet at the Eden Arena in Prague to contest the second UEFA Europa Conference League final, with the Viola bidding to succeed inaugural winners Roma and keep the trophy in Italy while the Hammers have their sights set on a first major honour in 43 years.

Both clubs have European trophies on their list of achievements, each having won the European Cup Winners' Cup in the 1960s – Fiorentina in the inaugural 1960/61 edition to become the first Italian team to lift major UEFA silverware, and West Ham on their European debut in 1964/65. The London side were also one of three UEFA Intertoto Cup winners in 1999.

Both teams kicked off their first UEFA Europa Conference League campaign in the qualifying play-offs, though West Ham have played two games fewer to reach the final as they won their group to bypass the knockout play-offs whereas Fiorentina were runners-up in their section. The Italian side's record in their 16 matches is W11 D2 L3, including a run of nine straight wins from Matchday 3 through to the quarter-final first leg, while their English opponents arrive in Prague unbeaten, having won 13 of their 14 matches and drawn the other.

There are Czech representatives on both teams, all three of whom are returning to their home stadium as former players of Slavia Praha – Antonín Barák of Fiorentina (2016/17) and West Ham duo Tomáš Souček (2015–20) and Vladimír Coufal (2018–20).

Fiorentina were edged out of top spot in Group A during the autumn by İstanbul Başakşehir on head-to-head goal difference, with both teams finding the net 14 times. The Viola added seven more goals in their knockout play-off as they eased past Braga (4-0 a, 3-2 h), another five against Sivasspor in the round of 16 (1-0 h, 4-1 a), six more in the quarter-finals against Lech Poznań (4-1 a, 2-3 h) and another four in coming from behind to beat Basel in the last minute of extra time in the semi-final, Barák striking the decisive goal in Switzerland after a double from Nicolás González (1-2 h, 3-1 a aet).

West Ham became the first team to gain maximum points in a UEFA Europa Conference League group when they won all six matches against FCSB, Silkeborg and Anderlecht to top Group B, having also previously won both qualifying play-off matches against Viborg. The London side prolonged that perfect sequence against AEK Larnaca in the round of 16 (2-0 a, 4-0 h), and although they were held 1-1 at Gent in the first leg of the quarter-final, they came from behind to win 4-1 at home and reach a European semi-final for the second season in a row. Unlike in last season's UEFA Europa League, however, they made it through, beating AZ Alkmaar twice (2-1 h, 1-0 a), Pablo Fornals striking the second-leg winner in the Netherlands deep into added time.

Previous meetings

This is the clubs' first meeting in UEFA competition.

Fiorentina have a positive record against English opposition (W6 D3 L3) and have won two of their three knockout ties. They beat Everton 4-2 on penalties at Goodison Park in the 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16 after two 2-0 home wins and Tottenham Hotspur in the 2014/15 UEFA Europa League round of 16 (1-1 a, 2-0 h), but lost to Spurs at the same stage of the same competition 12 months later (1-1 h, 0-3 a) in their most recent contest with an English club.

West Ham's only previous engagement with Italian opponents on the European stage was a 2006/07 UEFA Cup first round defeat by Palermo, in which Alan Pardew's side lost 0-1 in London and 3-0 in Sicily.

Form guide

Fiorentina

Fiorentina claimed seventh place in Serie A last season under new head coach Vincenzo Italiano to make a first appearance in Europe since 2016/17. When they last returned to UEFA competition after an equally lengthy break, in 2007/08, they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, where they were eliminated on penalties by Rangers after two goalless draws.

UEFA Europa League knockout phase participants four seasons running from 2013/14 to 2016/17, Fiorentina returned to the continental stage last summer in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying play-offs, edging past Twente to reach the group stage, where they recovered from a poor start to win their last four matches, including back-to-back wins against Hearts (3-0 a, 5-1 h), and qualify as runners-up. Braga, Sivasspor and – despite defeats in Florence – Lech and Basel were then overcome in their knockout ties as the Viola kept alive their bid to make it back-to-back UEFA Europa Conference League successes for Italy.

This is Fiorentina's fifth appearance in a major UEFA final, the previous four having yielded a solitary victory. Their first was in the 1956/57 European Cup, when they were beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid in the Spanish capital. They then defeated Rangers, under Hungarian coach Nándor Hidegkuti, in the 1960/61 European Cup Winners' Cup (2-0 a, 2-1 h), but lost against Atlético de Madrid in the same competition a year later (1-1 in Glasgow, 0-3 replay in Stuttgart). Their most recent final appearance was in the 1989/90 UEFA Cup, when they went down over two legs to domestic arch rivals Juventus (1-3 a, 0-0 h).

A 0-3 defeat at İstanbul Başakşehir is Fiorentina's only loss in their last 12 European fixtures outside Italy (W9 D2). They have recovered impressively from that Matchday 2 reverse, scoring 21 goals in their last six games in this competition on foreign soil, all victories, five of them in the knockout phase.

Fiorentina have drawn both of their previous UEFA fixtures in Prague, 1-1 against Sparta Praha in the second round of the 1996/97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup to complete a 3-2 aggregate success and 0-0 against Slavia in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round to seal a place in the group stage following a 2-0 home win. Their only other visit to Czechia brought a 3-1 win at Slovan Liberec on Matchday 3 of the 2016/17 UEFA Europa League group stage.

West Ham

Seventh in the 2021/22 Premier League, West Ham therefore ensured a second successive European campaign after going all the way to the semi-finals of last season's UEFA Europa League, a journey that took David Moyes' side past Sevilla and Lyon in the knockout phase before they were eliminated by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt (1-2 h, 0-1 a).

The Hammers had never played in a European group stage until last season, but they made it two in a row this term with that UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying play-off win against Viborg (3-1 h, 3-0 a) before again cruising through their section as they twice overcame FCSB (3-1 h, 3-0 a), Silkeborg (3-2 a, 1-0 h) and Anderlecht (1-0 a, 2-1 h) to end up ten points clear of the Belgian club. Cypriot side AEK Larnaca then provided further easy pickings in the round of 16 before they also proved too strong for Gent in the quarter-finals and AZ in the semis.

This is West Ham's third appearance in a major UEFA final. They were European Cup Winners' Cup winners in their maiden European campaign, prevailing in the 1964/65 final under manager Ron Greenwood at Wembley 2-0 against 1860 München thanks to an Alan Sealey double. Eleven years later they returned to the final of the same competition, but John Lyall's side lost 4-2 to Anderlecht in Brussels. Additionally, the Hammers beat Metz in one of three UEFA Intertoto Cup finals in 1999 (0-1 h, 3-1 a).

West Ham have been defeated just twice in their last 14 European matches outside London (W9 D3) – both in last season's UEFA Europa League knockout phase, against Sevilla (0-1) and Frankfurt. Their travels in the UEFA Europa Conference League this season have brought six victories and one draw, five of the wins with clean sheets.

The Hammers have visited Prague just once previously in UEFA competition, losing 2-1 to Sparta in the second round second leg of their triumphant 1964/65 European Cup Winners' Cup campaign but winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

Previous UEFA finals

Fiorentina (W1 L3)

1956/57 European Cup 0-2 v Real Madrid
1960/61 European Cup Winners' Cup 4-1 agg v Rangers
1961/62 European Cup Winners' Cup 1-1, 0-3 replay v Atlético de Madrid
1989/90 UEFA Cup 1-3 agg v Juventus

West Ham (W2 L1)

1964/65 European Cup Winners' Cup 2-0 v 1860 München
1975/76 European Cup Winners' Cup 2-4 v Anderlecht
1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup 3-1 agg v Metz

Links and trivia 

West Ham have three Italian internationals in their squad, all of whom have played in the country – Emerson Palmieri (Palermo 2014/15 loan, Roma 2015–18), Angelo Ogbonna (Torino 2006–13, Crotone 2007/08 loan, Juventus 2013–15) and Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo 2017–22, Cremonese 2018 loan, Ascoli 2019/20 loan, Genoa 2020/21 loan).

Scamacca has played alongside three members of Fiorentina's squad – Alfred Duncan (Sassuolo 2017/18), Gaetano Castrovilli (Cremonese 2018) and Luca Ranieri (Ascoli 2020).

Lucas Paquetá has also played in Italy, representing AC Milan from January 2019 to September 2020. Among his Rossoneri team-mates was current Fiorentina midfielder Giacomo Bonaventura.

Hammers midfielder Declan Rice scored for England against Italy in Naples in a 2-1 victory that opened their UEFA EURO 2024 qualifying campaign on 23 March this year. He was also in the England side that lost the UEFA EURO 2020 final on penalties against the Azzurri at Wembley on 11 July 2021.

Fiorentina defender Lucas Martínez Quarta was in the River Plate youth team when West Ham midfielder Manuel Lanzini was at the Argentinian club between 2012 and 2014. The two players are both internationals for Argentina, as is Viola's González, though none made the squad that triumphed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals.

Fiorentina's Jonathan Ikoné and West Ham's Areola and Kurt Zouma have all played international football for France – though only Areola was in France’s 2022 World Cup squad and did not feature for the eventual runners-up.

Fiorentina's Sofyan Amrabat and West Ham's Nayef Aguerd did, however, help Morocco reach the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, Amrabat appearing for every minute of the North African side's history-making seven-match campaign while Aguerd started the first four matches.

Barák, Souček and Coufal are all current Czech internationals. Barák and Souček won the Czech league title together with Slavia in 2016/17.

Fiorentina are the highest scorers in the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League, group stage to final, their tally of 36 goals nine more than West Ham's and also a new competition record, surpassing last season's high of 28 managed by both finalists, Roma and Feyenoord.

Fiorentina's Brazilian striker Arthur Cabral is the joint top individual scorer in this season's UEFA Europa Conference League on seven goals, alongside Basel's Zeki Amdouni. He has one more than club colleague Luka Jović and West Ham's Michail Antonio. Two Viola players, Christian Kouamé and Cristian Biraghi, also lead the way in the assists charts with five apiece.

Midfielder Rolando Mandragora is the only Fiorentina player to have featured in all 16 of their UEFA Europa Conference League matches from qualifying play-offs to semi-final, starting 11 and coming on as a substitute in five.

Areola is the only ever-present in West Ham's UEFA Europa Conference League campaign. He has kept goal for every minute, including the two qualifying play-offs.

Fiorentina have already played, and lost, a cup final this season, going down 2-1 to Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia decider in Rome on 24 May.

Penalty shoot-outs

Fiorentina's record in six UEFA penalty shoot-outs is W3 L3:
4-5 v Sachsenring Zwickau, 1975/76 European Cup Winners' Cup second round
1-3 v Boavista, 1986/87 UEFA Cup first round
3-1 v Atlético de Madrid, 1989/90 UEFA Cup first round
4-3 v Groningen, 2007/08 UEFA Cup first round
4-2 v Everton, 2007/08 UEFA Cup round of 16
2-4 v Rangers, 2007/08 UEFA Cup semi-final

West Ham's record in one UEFA penalty shoot-out is W1 L0:
5-3 v Birkirkara, 2015/16 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round