ACF Fiorentina head coach Vincenzo Italiano believes the midfield battle between West Ham United’s Declan Rice and La Viola’s Sofyan Amrabat will be key to whose team wins the UEFA Europa Conference League final.
The Hammers’ England regular and Fiorentina’s Morocco standout are expected to go head-to-head at the Eden Aréna on Wednesday evening, after each led their respective side to Prague with a series of influential performances.
Both players also starred for their countries at the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar, and Italiano says they will take centre-stage again in Czechia.
“Rice will duel with Amrabat in the middle of the field and we hope that Sofyan will win the battle in that area of the pitch,” said the Fiorentina coach, who also believes West Ham’s former AC Milan midfielder Paquetá will have a big part to play in the final.
“One (Rice) is a quality midfielder, the other (Paquetá) varies throughout the pitch and we also saw him in Italy a few years ago. But the whole [West Ham] team is of a great level who know how to stay on the pitch.”
While Italiano is aware of the quality in the West Ham ranks, he also possesses a strong squad of his own.
Fiorentina are the leading scorers in this season’s UECL, reached the Coppa Italia final before being edged out 2-1 by Inter Milan, and ended the Serie A season on a run of just two defeats in their last 16 matches.
The Italians have a strong squad of which Amrabat is just one of a host of seasoned internationals. Captain and left-back Cristiano Biraghi plays for Italy, centre-back Nikola Milenković and striker Luka Jović are regulars for Serbia, and both defender Lucas Martínez Quarta and winger Nicolás González are Argentina internationals.
And, like West Ham, Fiorentina will be roared on by thousands of supporters, both in Prague and back in their home city, where 20,000-plus are expected at the Stadio Artemio Franchi to watch a screening of the final
Unsurprisingly, then, Italiano is confident his team can defeat their English opponents and lift a first major European trophy since winning the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1961.
“[We will] Play with a clear mind and think about playing our best game,” he explained. “Compared to the [Coppa Italia] final in Rome, we may have treasured a little experience, but the important thing is to stay focused.
“We all got to this final together, with our fans who followed us everywhere. Along the way we also went on to win in difficult places. In a final like this, all of Florence and every Florentine will help us put the ball into the net.”
