UEFA Europa Conference League final: Who shall I support?
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
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Still not picked a team to back in the Europa Conference League showpiece? We can help.
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Only two sides remain in the running to win the second edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy: Fiorentina and West Ham.
If you're a neutral and you're still to decide which team to get behind, read on. Our guide to the finalists is here to help you make up your mind.
What colours do the teams wear?
Fiorentina: Purple shirts and white shorts
West Ham: Claret tops with sky blue sleeves and white shorts (but probably an all-white kit for the final)
What are the teams' nicknames?
Fiorentina: Viola (Purples) in honour of their shirts. Initially they wore red and white halves, and it has been claimed the switch to purple happened after the colours ran when they were washed in a river. However, the truth is that it was chosen in 1929 by one of the club's founders Luigi Ridolfi, since purple dye was apparently invented by alchemists in Florence in 300BC.
West Ham: The Hammers in honour of the tools of the trade at Thames Ironworks, the company that made ships as well as other big metal structures at their base in East London. West Ham were founded as the long-defunct business's works team.
Which nations are represented in the current squads?
Fiorentina: Italy, Albania, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, France, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal, Serbia
West Ham: England, Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Czechia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Morocco, Northern Ireland, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Spain
Why they can win it in ten words
Fiorentina: They have outscored all comers and excel on the road
West Ham: Performance quality varies, but in Europe they don't lose games
What is their pedigree?
Fiorentina are the first side to have reached all four major UEFA club competition finals, but have won only one so far: the 1960/61 European Cup Winners' Cup. Twice champions of Italy, the Viola have had some lean years, but are now targeting their first trophy since claiming their sixth Coppa Italia in 2000/01.
West Ham have never finished higher than third in the English top division (in 1985/86), but have had plenty of experience in Europe thanks in part to having won three editions of the FA Cup. They lifted the 1964/65 European Cup Winners' Cup and reached the final again in 1975/76 but lost out to Anderlecht.
Who are the ones to watch?
Fiorentina: Sofyan Amrabat
The Viola have an impressive array of striking talent in the likes of Arthur Cabral and Luka Jović, as well as wingers Nicolás González and Jonathan Ikoné. The midfield battle may be crucial against West Ham, though, and having starred with Morocco at the FIFA World Cup, Amrabat may be the man for this big occasion.
West Ham: Michail Antonio
Having started out playing for amateur side Tooting & Mitcham, Antonio worked his way up the leagues, finally signing for West Ham in 2015. He has been a reliable scorer ever since, notably getting the winner in the semi-final first leg against AZ Alkmaar. The 33-year-old has scored more goals in Europe (6) than in the Premier League (5) this season.
Who will be this season's top scorer?
We will soon find out. Fiorentina's Arthur Cabral leads the way with seven goals, with Michail Antonio West Ham's top scorer so far with six.
Who are the fan favourites?
Fiorentina: Dodô
The Brazilian wing-back's continuous running up and down the right flank have endeared him to fans along with his trickery on the ball and frequent changes of hair colour (including a switch to purple). He has promised a new colour in the event of a victory in Prague but has not revealed which one it would be.
West Ham: Declan Rice
The Hammers have long been resigned to losing their captain and Rice in the summer. The tireless work he does making blocks and turnovers in midfield can get overlooked, but his lung-bursting run and goal against Gent in the quarter-finals was a moment to cherish and shows exactly what this quality player has in his locker.
Who are the coaches?
Fiorentina: Vincenzo Italiano
Despite his none-more Italian surname, Italiano was not born in Italy but in Germany; Karlsruhe to be exact. His parents were from Agrigento in Sicily. Only five years ago, the former Chievo and Verona deep-lying playmaker was leading Arzignano Valchiampo to promotion from Italy's Serie D.
West Ham: David Moyes
Sir Alex Ferguson's chosen successor when he left Manchester United in 2013, Moyes was not as big a success at Old Trafford as he had been in an 11-year spell at Everton, during which his side reached the 2008/09 FA Cup final. A European trophy in Prague would be his first piece of managerial silverware.
What will the fans be singing?
Fiorentina
Totalmente dipendente
Non so stare senza te,
Fuoco che brucia nelle vene,
Ti amo fiorentina alè.
Totally addicted,
I can't be without you,
Fire burning in my veins,
I love you Florentine alè.
Fiorentina have their own official anthem, but this is the chant that tends to be heard most often on the terraces (derived, some say, from a song sung by fans of Argentinian side San Lorenzo).
West Ham
I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air,
They fly so high, nearly reach the sky,
Then like my dreams they fade and die.
Fortune's always hiding,
I've looked everywhere,
I'm forever blowing bubbles,
Pretty bubbles in the air.
A sentimental song written in America in 1918, the hopeful, despairing I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles became a terrace favourite at West Ham in the late 1920s, apparently introduced by manager Charlie Paynter.