Basel came from behind to secure a 2-1 win over La Viola in the first leg at Stadio Artemio Franchi last week thanks to Andy Diouf's 71st-minute equaliser and Aeki Amdouni's winner two minutes into the injury time.
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Basel will host Fiorentina in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final tie at St. Jakob Arena on Thursday night. The first leg at Stadio Artemio Franchi last week ended 2-1 in favour of Basel. Although Fiorentina took the lead through Arthur Cabral’s 25th-minute effort, the Swiss club came out all guns blazing in the second-half and secured a dramatic victory thanks to Andy Diouf’s 71st-minute equaliser and Aeki Amdouni’s winner two minutes into the injury time. FCB became the first team from Switzerland to win a semi-final match in a major European competition since Grasshopper against Bastia in the 1977-78 UEFA Cup.
🎙️ Vincenzo Italiano & Jack Bonaventura 🗣️#ForzaViola #Fiorentina #ACFFiorentina #UECL pic.twitter.com/vMq3nYvO6C
— ACF Fiorentina English (@ACFFiorentinaEN) May 17, 2023
Basel are yet to lose against Viola, having recorded two wins and one draw thus far. RotBlau reached this far in the competition courtesy of overcoming the likes of Trabzonspor, Slovan Bratislava and Nice after finishing second in Group H. Success in the Conference League appears to be Basel’s best chance to qualify for Europe next season because Bebbi are having a below par domestic season, having taken just 42 points from 33 games to be sitting at the sixth spot in the Swiss Super League standings. Meanwhile, they are heading into the match on the back of a disappointing 6-1 league-defeat away to St. Gallen last Sunday. To make matters worse, Basel are winless in their last five fixtures across all competitions at St. Jakob Arena, while losing three matches in the period.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, are heading into the match on the back of a 2-0 Serie A-win over Udinese last weekend. Viola secured their 13th league-win of the season thanks to goals from Gaetano Castrovilli and Giacomo Bonaventura. The result ended their three-game winless streak across all competitions and Vincenzo Italiano’s side are currently occupying eighth spot in the Italian top flight standings, having pocketed 49 points from 35 games, ten adrift of the top six. Fiorentina are now mathematically out of the top six race and winning the Conference League is their only way to secure a place in next season’s Europa League. La viola reached this far in Europe’s third tier tournament courtesy of defeating the likes of Braga, Sivasspor and Lech Poznan in the knockout stages, while Fiorentina have scored more goals (33) than any other team in the competition this term.
Basel probable starting lineup: Hitz, Lang, Kasim, Pelmard, Ndoye, Xhaka, Burger, Diouf, Calafiori, Amdouni, Augustin
Fiorentina probable starting lineup: Terracciano, Dodo, Milenkovic, Igor, Biraghi, Bonaventura, Amrabat, Mandragora, Ikone, Cabral, Gonzalez
Basel
| Opponents | Score |
| St. Gallen | 6-1 (L) |
| Fiorentina | 1-2 (W) |
| Zurich | 0-2 (L) |
| Winterthur | 1-4 (W) |
| Sion | 1-2 (W) |
Fiorentina
| Opponents | Score |
| Udinese | 2-0 (W) |
| Basel | 1-2 (L) |
| Napoli | 1-0 (L) |
| Salernitana | 3-3 (D) |
| Sampdoria | 5-0 (W) |
| Last 3 match-results | Score |
| Basel beat Fiorentina | 1-2 |
| Basel draw Fiorentina | 2-2 |
| Basel beat Fiorentina | 1-2 |
The Europa Conference League match between Basel and Fiorentina will take place at St. Jakob-Arena on Friday at 12:30 am IST.
| Basel vs Fiorentina | Key Details |
| Date | May 18 (Switzerland) |
| Venue | St. Jakob Arena |
| Kickoff time in Switzerland | 9:00 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in Italy | 9:00 pm (Thursday) |
Football fans in Italy can catch the live action via DAZN, Sky Go Italia, Sky Sport Calcio, Sky Sport 254 and NOW TV. Meanwhile, those in Switzerland can watch the match on RTL+, 3plus TV and Blue Sport network.
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