On Thursday, May 2, and Wednesday, May 8, Club Brugge will play against Fiorentina. Club Brugge is the only remaining Belgian team in European football this season. The Bruges-based team will play in the semi-finals of the Conference League this and next week.
Conference League
The Conference League is an annual European football competition. It is the third most important competition in European football, after the Champions League and the Europa League. The Conference League has been played since the 2021-2022 season. This is the first time Club Brugge is participating in this competition, while for Fiorentina, it is their second time. Fiorentina reached the final last year but had to concede the title to West Ham. After West Ham, AS Roma is the only other team to have won the Conference League. AS Roma won the inaugural edition by defeating Feyenoord 1-0 in the final. West Ham United is the current title holder, having defeated Fiorentina 2-1 last year. Roma and West Ham are not participating in the Conference League this year. Therefore, it’s an excellent opportunity for Fiorentina to perform better than last year, but it would be quite impressive for Club Brugge to win in their debut.
Fiorentina
This Italian football club was founded on August 29, 1926, and plays at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence. The club colors are purple and white, with purple being the main color. The players are therefore nicknamed “La Viola” or “the Purples.” Fiorentina has won the Italian league title twice, in 1956 and 1969. They have participated in the Champions League three times, the Europa League four times, and the Conference League twice. However, they have never won any of these tournaments.
The Conference League has been a success for them this year. After 6 matches, they topped their group, which included Ferencvaros, Genk, and Cukaricki. In the round of 16, they faced Israeli side Maccabi Haifa, with the two legs ending 5-4 in favor of Fiorentina. The quarter-finals were tougher, with a draw in the first leg against Viktoria Plzen and a 2-0 win in the second leg.
Vincenzo Italiano is the coach of Fiorentina, and they finished 8th in Serie A. Their last game was a 5-1 victory against Sassuolo, with key goalscorers being Nicolás González, Giacomo Bonaventura, and Lucas Beltran, scoring 9, 7, and 6 goals respectively.
Club Brugge
This West Flemish club was founded on November 13, 1891, and has registration number 3. Since 1959, they have continuously played in the Jupiler Pro League, the top division of Belgian football. Of the two Bruges teams, Cercle Brugge and Club Brugge, the latter is the most successful and popular. They have won the league title eighteen times. Only RSC Anderlecht, their opponent in this match, has earned more league titles in Belgium. Additionally, no other club in Belgium has won more cups and super cups than Club Brugge. They are also the only Belgian club to have reached the final of the European Cup I, or the Champions League.
Club Brugge also finished as group winners, with Bodo/Glimt, Besiktas, and Lugano as their challengers. In the round of 16, they couldn’t defeat Molde, with the match ending 2-1. However, they performed better at home, winning 3-0. In the previous round, the quarter-finals, they defeated PAOK 0-3.
Club Brugge became a serious contender after the dismissal of Ronny Deila and the appointment of coach Nicky Hayen. Under his leadership, Club Brugge has earned 22 of the last 24 points and achieved seven consecutive victories, the best streak of the season. In the Champion’s Play-Offs, they obtained 16 out of 18 points, putting them back in contention for the title, with only Anderlecht ahead of them. The key goalscorers for Club Brugge are Igor Thiago, Andreas Skov Olsen, and Ferrán Jutglá, with 18, 11, and 8 goals respectively. With these scores, Club Brugge has won their last 7 matches.
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