Fiorentina – Braga

Braga can clinch against Fiorentina in one meeting

Fiorentina play their return leg against Braga on Thursday 24 February. This encounter was considered central to the Conference League tie. As a result, there was no intrigue until the second leg. Fiorentina took the first leg away with a 4-0 win. That said, it's impossible to talk about such a big difference in class between the two opponents. Braga were favourites to win the first leg at all. It's clear that the positioning has completely changed now. This season, Fiorentina have been falling apart in the league, but have been successful in the cup competitions. In Serie A, the Fiorentina side have failed to win again. The daunting streak continued at home against Empoli. A draw was recorded. In the championship, the club is only in fourteenth place. That said, there is a margin from the relegation zone. Vincenzo Italiano will not be sacked on the back of his success in cup competitions. The coach holds the general line for the season. For Fiorentina the fight for trophies clearly take priority over getting into the European competition this year. In the match against Braga, Luka Jovic unexpectedly came to life. The former Real Madrid ex-bombardier netted a double. People have long expected more from the forward. Jovic was even the top scorer in the Conference League. The situation with the injured players is good. Fiorentina are a rare club without any injuries at all. At the moment, all the players are officially healthy. Braga could well fight for a trophy in the European Cup, given the team's overall potential. It turned out to be a very frustrating match-up. At the same time, the club are not expected to have a long crisis. Three days after the defeat, Arthur Jorge's charges have picked up another three points in the Portuguese league. They are second only to Benfica and Porto, although they have no realistic chance of winning the title. Another issue is the possibility of qualifying for the Champions League. Interestingly, Braga also have no problems with injured players. The only loss will be centre-back Tormena. The bookmakers are giving Fiorentina the clear favourite to win the second leg. You could argue with that. A four-goal deficit will certainly relax the Italians. It is possible that the coach will even rotate the squad. There is no global difference in terms of class between the opponents. A local surprise is very possible. Portugal have a special attitude to European league standings. The visitors will have some motivation. In addition, they will want to shut out an upsetting defeat by showing that it was largely accidental. Under 1.70 odds on Fiorentina would be too much for a team that doesn't need a win at all. There's a good chance that Fiorentina won't be too keen even on a narrow defeat.