West Ham will play in a European final for the first time since 1999 as they take on Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League championship match on Wednesday in Prague.
The Hammers won the now defunct UEFA Intertoto Cup, defeating France's Metz over two legs 24 years ago, but they now have a chance to become European cup winners once again.
Not only will the club be playing for a continental crown, but it will also likely be the final match in West Ham colours for beloved midfielder Declan Rice, who is thought likely to depart the club this summer for a big transfer fee.
Italian side Fiorentina, meanwhile, are in their first European final since Europa League defeat to Juventus in 1990 (back when it was called the 'UEFA Cup'). They squeaked by both Lech Poznan and Basel en route to the final, despite suffering road defeats in the road leg of both matchups.
West Ham have only ever played an Italian club once before in their history, coming in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup when they played Palermo across a two-legged matchup in the first round, losing by a 4-0 aggregate score.
West Ham vs Fiorentina Conference League final
- Date: Wednesday, June 7, 2023
- Kickoff Time: 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. BST / 5 a.m. AEST (Thu, Jun. 8)
- Location: Fortuna Arena (Prague, Czech Republic)
- Official: Carlos del Cerro Grande (SPA)
- Last meeting: None (First meeting)
Fiorentina vs West Ham prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: West Ham (+165)
- Score prediction: Fiorentina 1-2 West Ham
The Hammers were just too good throughout European play this season, and La Viola's back line is ripe for the taking. The West Ham press is strong, generating the most high turnovers of any team in the Europa Conference League this season.
Fiorentina are a high-flying team, but the presence of Declan Rice will do much to keep a lid on that, and the Hammers should have enough firepower to out-gun this Serie A side and bring the Premier League home a European trophy just days before Man City will attempt to do the same in the UEFA Champions League.
Fiorentina vs West Ham best bet
- Pick: Over 2.5 goals
- Odds: +105 (BetMGM)
The over 2.5 total goals in this match presents incredible value, even for a European final. The key to this is Fiorentina, who are both defensively chaotic and offensively improved.
Over their final five matches of the Serie A season, Fiorentina both registered and conceded over 1.0 xG in three of them, and both teams have found the net in each of their last five European games as well, going over 2.5 total goals in all five.
West Ham have been defensively astute in European play, conceding just seven goals throughout the entire competition this season across 12 matches, but they've also shown recent signs of frailty, unable to keep a clean sheet in five of their last six Premier League matches of the season.
Fiorentina, meanwhile, have scored more goals, taken more shots, and registered more shots on target than any other team across all three European competitions, including Manchester City. There's a good bet this game could get a bit squirrely.