UECL Final: West Ham vs. Fiorentina

Start Time: 2:00 p.m. CST on June 7, 2023

Location: Fortuna Arena, Prague, Czech Republic

FanDuel Betting Odds: West Ham -116; Fiorentina -102

West Ham (Finished 14th in the Premier League); Manager: David Moyes

Road to the Final:

• Top of Group B (18 points)

• Round of 16: Def. AEK Larnaca 6-0 (2-0; 4-0)

• Quarter-finals: Def. Gent 5-2 (1-1; 4-1)

• Semi-finals: Def. AZ Alkmaar 3-1 (2-1; 1-0)

Fiorentina (Finished 8th in Serie A); Manager: Vincenzo Italiano

Road to the Final:

• Second in Group A (13 points)

• Round of 32: Def. Braga 7-2 (4-0; 3-2)

• Round of 16: Def. Sivasspor 5-1 (1-0; 4-1)

• Quarter-finals: Def. Lech Poznan 6-4 (4-1; 2-3)

• Semi-finals: Def. Basel 4-3 (1-2; 3-1)

FotMob Lineups:

Today's the day! West Ham United will aim to end its 43-year major trophy drought against Serie A side Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League Final.

All about Fiorentina

Fiorentina had a late-season surge, winning four and drawing one of its last six domestic matches, landing Vincenzo Italiano's side an eighth-place finish in Serie A. They also made it to the Coppa Italia Final, where they lost 2-1 to Champions League hopefuls Inter Milan, thanks to a brace from Lautaro Martinez.

Luka Jovic starts up front for Fiorentina. The Serbian striker had 13 goals in 49 appearances in his first season in Italy, as he joined in July 2022 on a free transfer from Real Madrid. Although Jovic has disappointed in the last few years of his career, the 25-year-old has scored in two of his last three matches for the Viola.

Moroccan international Sofyan Amrabat will feature in Fiorentina's midfield. You may remember him during Morroco's Cinderella run in the 2022 World Cup. The 26-year-old has endless stamina in the midfield and will prove to be a handful for Paqueta & Rice.

What's at stake for the Hammers?

Winning a major competition: It's hard to believe a club the size of West Ham hasn't won a major competition in over four decades. Since lifting the FA Cup at Wembley in May 1980, the Hammers' trophy cabinet has collected a fair share of cobwebs, but that could all change tonight.

West Ham has dominated the Europa Conference League from the get-go. They stormed through Group B, and it took a draw in the quarter-finals to end the Hammers' winning streak at ten UECL matches.

West Ham went down early in the first leg of the semi-final versus AZ Alkmaar, but thanks to a heroic performance from Said Benrahma, the Hammers went to the Netherlands with a lead on aggregate. A goal from Pablo in the final moments of the second leg helped West Ham secure its spot in the final.

The Premier League is only getting stronger with the emergence of Newcastle, Arsenal, Brighton, and Aston Villa this season. Competitions like the FA Cup and League Cup will be harder to win in the future, so this is our best chance for getting some silverware.

Another year of European football: The winner of the UECL gets a spot in next year's Europa League campaign, and that would be crucial for West Ham. The Hammers had a poor Premier League season, finishing 14th after flirting with relegation for the majority of the year.

Europa League would help our recruitment over the summer, bring more exciting European nights at the London Stadium, and MAYBE keep Declan Rice for another season (although I think he's headed to Bayern or Arsenal).

David Moyes: Winning the UECL would put the club in an odd position when it comes to David Moyes. The Scottish manager has helped West Ham reach new heights during his second stint, and a major competition win could tempt the club to keep him around for another season.

However, I think this would be a huge mistake. This summer would be a great chance to hit the reset button and bring in a new manager to get the most out of our star players.

There have been plenty of rumors swirling around throughout this week regarding Moyes' future, but I don't think the club has made a decision yet. If we lose the final, a 14th-place finish in the Premier League after spending £170 million in the summer transfer window isn't a good look. But, if you add a UECL trophy onto the resume, it would undoubtedly make the board's choice much tougher.

The dream scenario for me is winning the final, Moyes steps down, and Graham Potter takes over.

What will happen?

I don't think I've been more nervous for a West Ham match in my seven years supporting the club, but I'm confident in this squad. It was a brutal domestic campaign, but this group began to show signs of life during the last few weeks of the season.

Our three best players this season - Rice, Paqueta, and Aguerd - all played in huge matches during the 2022 World Cup. So our squad does have experience in tense matches with a lot on the line.

Fiorentina is a formidable opponent, surely the best the Hammers have come up against in the UECL. On paper, our squad is better, but it will be a tense 90 (or 120) minutes in Prague. When it's all said and done at the Fortuna Arena, I think captain Declan Rice will lift the trophy and the Hammers will become European champions.

UECL Final Prediction: West Ham 2 Fiorentina 1

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