Jagiellonia Białystok is preparing for Thursday's return leg in the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 in Florence. Following a heavy 3-0 defeat at home, the Polish team's chances of advancing are considered minimal. Meanwhile, Fiorentina approaches the match in excellent spirits after a derby win over Pisa, which allowed the Serie A side to escape the relegation zone and gain confidence ahead of the decisive clash.
Difficult Task for the Polish Champion
Jagiellonia must overcome a three-goal deficit from the first leg, which given the class of their Serie A opponent seems an almost impossible task.
Fiorentina's Good Form
The Italian team has won its last two league matches, including the prestigious derby against Pisa, which improved its position in the Serie A table.
Planned Squad Rotations
Coach Vanoli will likely rest key players, keeping in mind the fight for league points in the upcoming match against Udinese.
The situation for Jagiellonia Białystok ahead of the return leg in the UEFA Conference League is extremely complicated. A three-goal defeat in the first leg means Adrian Siemieniec's squad would need to pull off a sporting miracle at the Stadio Artemio Franchi to eliminate the favored Italians. Although the first-leg result did not fully reflect the flow of the game, Fiorentina demonstrated ruthless efficiency, which they intend to replicate in front of their home crowd. The Italian team's coach, Paolo Vanoli, emphasizes the importance of the right mentality and warns his players against underestimating the team from Białystok, which he assesses as well-organized and dangerous in pressing. The Italian press notes that for Fiorentina, the priority remains the fight to stay in Serie A. The recent 1-0 victory over Pisa, secured by Moise Kean's goal, allowed the team to move to a safer position in the table, giving them psychological comfort ahead of the European cup. Due to a tight schedule and the upcoming match against Udinese, the coaching staff of "La Viola" will likely opt for squad rotation, resting key players for the league battles. Meanwhile, Jagiellonia must balance international ambitions with preparations for a prestigious clash against Legia Warsaw in the Ekstraklasa. Fiorentina is a two-time finalist of the Conference League in recent years, making it one of the most experienced teams in this competition, while for Jagiellonia, this is their debut season in the knockout phase of European cups in the new format.It is also worth noting the Polish accents in the past round of the Italian league, where Bologna defeated Udinese 1-0. The hosts' clean sheet was kept by Łukasz Skorupski, while Jakub Piotrowski and Adam Buksa featured for the Udinese side. The latter, returning from injury, received a yellow card and left the pitch in the second half. These results illustrate the growing role of Polish players in Serie A, providing an interesting backdrop for the clash between the Polish champion and a representative of that league. „L'aspetto più importante della gara di domani è ovviamente il passaggio del turno, ma dalla mia squadra voglio vedere anche la mentalità di saper gestire la vittoria dell'andata, vincere aiuta a vincere.” (The most important aspect of tomorrow's match is obviously advancing to the next round, but from my team I also want to see the mentality of knowing how to manage the first-leg victory; winning helps you win.) — Paolo Vanoli Both Polish and Italian fans are closely following squad news. Experts predict that Jagiellonia will adopt an offensive formation, having nothing to lose, while Fiorentina will focus on controlling the tempo of the game. Although statistics and history favor the hosts, football has repeatedly proven that a high first-leg lead can lull a favorite into complacency.
Mentioned People
- Paolo Vanoli — Fiorentina coach
- Adrian Siemieniec — Jagiellonia Białystok coach
- Moise Kean — Goal scorer for Fiorentina in the match against Pisa