Club Brugge vs Fiorentina Europa Conference League semi-final second leg preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups

Club Brugge and Fiorentina meet in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final second leg on Wednesday 8 May.

Where to watch Club Brugge vs Fiorentina

Fans can find their local UEFA Europa Conference League broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

"We are ahead in this little battle and we will go there to play our cards right," said coach Vincenzo Italiano after his Fiorentina side's dramatic win in the first leg. As the focus switches to Belgium, he will be hoping his team can recreate some of the moments of brilliance that brought them three goals in the first leg, through Ricardo Sottil, Andrea Belotti and M'bala Nzola.

However, their opponents are still very much alive in this fixture, thanks to Hans Vanaken's penalty and Thiago's second-half strike, although they will be without Raphael Onyedika, who was sent off in Florence. With Fiorentina seeking redemption after losing last year's final to West Ham and Club Brugge looking to capitalise on reaching their first European semi-final for 32 years, both sides have everything to play for.

Predicted line-ups

Club Brugge: Mignolet; Sabbe, Spileers, Mechele; Skov Olsen, Balanta, Vetlesen, Vanaken, De Cuyper; Nusa, Thiago
Suspended for second leg: Onyedika

Fiorentina: Terracciano; Dodô, Milenković, Ranieri, Biraghi; Arthur, Mandragora; González, Beltrán, Kouamé; Belotti

Form guide

Club Brugge
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WLWWWW
Most recent result: Antwerp 1-2 Club Brugge, 05/05, Belgian First League

Fiorentina
Form (all competitions, most recent first): LWWLWW
Most recent result: Verona 2-1 Fiorentina, 05/05, Italian Serie A

Expert prediction

Brecht Schelstraete, match reporter
Club Brugge picked up confidence at the weekend as they defeated reigning Belgian champions Antwerp to go two points clear in the standings. It was another boost for Nicky Hayen's side, who performed well during the first leg against Fiorentina without quite hitting their top level, and they will be hopeful of turning the tie around at a sold-out Jan Breydelstadion. Simon Mignolet's return from injury is another plus, particularly given his experience between the posts, and if Thiago can excel again after scoring in Florence, Club Brugge can realistically dream of a first European final since 1978.

What the coaches say

Nicky Hayen, Club Brugge coach: "It's a great match, a great opportunity for me and for the whole team. I will treat it like a normal match but we will certainly be fully focused. We are a hungry team. This is a very important match for Belgian football's place in Europe. We know that we will all have to give our best for our fans too."

Vincenzo Italiano, Fiorentina coach: "We have to continue to play the way that has got us here. We have to avoid any lapses in concentration and hesitancy. We have the advantage but if we think we can last 90 minutes without playing how we did getting here then we've lost. We should do everything we did in the first leg, only with greater attention."

Destination: Athens

UEFA via Getty Images

The 2023/24 Europa Conference League season will conclude at the AEK Arena in Athens, Greece on 29 May.