The hosts secured a 2-1 aggregate victory over Gent in the knockout round playoffs last month, while the Serie A outfit finished top of Group F to earn direct qualification to the last-16 stage of the competition.
Follow Us
Maccabi Haifa will play host to Fiorentina in the first leg of their Europa Conference League round of 16 tie at Bozsik Arena on Thursday. The hosts secured a 2-1 aggregate victory over Gent in the knockout round playoffs last month, while the Serie A outfit finished top of Group F to earn direct qualification to the last-16 stage of the competition. Meanwhile, the Greens are heading into the match on the back of a 1-0 win over Hapoel Hadera in the Israeli Premier League on Sunday, while Viola played out a goalless league-draw with Torino last time out.
IT’S MATCHDAY ⚜️
🏆 UEFA Europa Conference League
⚽️ Maccabi Haifa-Fiorentina
đź“ŤBozsik Arena
🕖 21:00CET#ForzaViola #MaccabiHaifaFiorentina #ACFFiorentina #UECL pic.twitter.com/bbFJ07xDXy— ACF Fiorentina English (@ACFFiorentinaEN) March 7, 2024
Maccabi Haifa could only secure five points in their Europa League group-stage campaign, finishing third in the table, and thereby dropping into the Conference League. The Greens got the better of Belgian side Gent in the previous round thanks to Frantzy Pierrot’s one goal each in both the home and away legs of the tie. Meanwhile, the Israeli outfit are heading into the match on the back of an eight game unbeaten run across all competition, including victories in each of their last three domestic matches, with an overall scoreline of 8-0. On Sunday, the Greens from the Carmel edged past Hapoel Hadera courtesy of Gadi Kinda’s lone goal in the second-half. Messay Dego’s side are currently occupying second spot in the Israeli top flight standings, having collected 54 points from 24 outings, just a solitray point adrift of the summit.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, are bidding to secure a continental title this term, having gone so close before losing out to West Ham in the final of the Conference League last season. This time around, Viola went unbeaten in their group-stage campaign, recording three wins and as many draws from six outings. Meanwhile, when it comes to the Serie A, Vinzenco Italiano’s side are occupying eighth spot in the standings, having collected 42 points from 27 games, five adrift of the European places. As of now, the Conference League trophy appears to be their best chance to qualify for Europe next season.
Maccabi Haifa Probable starting lineup: Kaiuf, Feingold, Seck, Goldberg, Khalaili, Kasa, Show, Cornud, Kinda, Refaelov, Pierrot
Fiorentina probable starting lineup: Terracciano, Kayode, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi, Bonaventura, Arthur, Gonzalez, Beltran, Sottil, Belotti
Maccabi Haifa
| Opponents | Score |
| Hapoel Hadera | 1-0 (W) |
| Hapoel Umm al-Fahm | 0-2 (W) |
| SC Ashodod | 0-5 (W) |
| Gent | 1-1 (D) |
| Hapoel Haifa | 1-1 (D) |
Fiorentina
| Opponents | Score |
| Torino | 0-0 (D) |
| Lazio | 2-1 (W) |
| Empoli | 1-1 (D) |
| Bologna | 2-0 (L) |
| Forsinone | 5-1 (W) |
The Europa Conference League fixture between Maccabi Haifa and Fiorentina will take place at Bozsik Arena on Friday at 1:30 am IST.
| Maccabi Haifa vs Fiorentina | Key Details |
| Date | March 7 (Thursday) |
| Venue | Bozsik Arena |
| Kickoff time in Israel | 10:00 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in Italy | 9:00 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in Hungary | 9:00 pm (Thursday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 1:30 am (Friday) |
The live telecast of the Europa League matches in India will be available on Sony Sports network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream the game through Sony LIV. Meanwhile, those in Israel can watch the match on Sport 1. Football fans in Italy can catch the live action via NOW TV, Sky Sport 253, Sky Sport Calcio, Sky Go Italia and DAZN Italia.
More football news:
Sheffield United vs Arsenal: Why was Bukayo Saka substituted at half-time?
Switzerland conquers the challenge of EURO 2024: A journey full of hardships
