The last four teams in the UEFA Europa Conference League continue their quest to the title clash. The semi-finals of the competition are set to start with two electric games being played on Thursday, and all bets will surely be off when the ball starts rolling.
Only two of these teams have previously won European titles, although the tournament they managed to win has disappeared from the current football scenery. With that in mind, the chance for fresh silverware should not be overseen by any of these teams, so their legacy in the international stage continues to grow next season with an eventual spot in the UEFA Europa League for the winner of this tournament.
Without further ado, here is a brief preview for both games being played on May 11.
Fiorentina vs Basel
The Italian side is one of the teams that has tasted European glory before, and with one of the best forms in their domestic competition, experts around the globe believe this could be the season where they end their title drought in European tournaments. I Viola made it this far after finishing second in Group A behind Istanbul Basaksehir, but they managed to make it out of the KO playoff round by beating Sporting Braga with a 7-2 aggregate. Later on, they defeated Sivasspor in the Round of 16 (5-1) and followed that performance up with a 6-4 aggregate win against Lech Poznan. This is the first semi-final appearance for Fiorentina since the 2014-15 season, when they were defeated by eventual UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla.
On the other hand, Basel are gunning to win their first-ever continental title despite their woes at home, where their title chances faded away a while ago. The team led by Heiko Vogel made it this far in the UECL by finishing the group stage as runners-up to Slovan Bratislava in Group H, which had them involved in the KO playoff round against Trabzonspor, a team they defeated with a 2-1 aggregate. Their run continued with another clash against Slovan Bratislava. The tie was so close it needed a penalty shootout to determine the winner, and Basel emerged victorious by winning the shootout 4-1. Their quarterfinal clash against Nice was also filled with drama, but they claimed the spot in the semis with a 4-3 score. Basel are no strangers to semi-final ties in European tournaments, as they made it to this stage in the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League. This time, they hope the tie can be sorted out with a positive outcome.
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West Ham United vs AZ
The Hammers have thrived in Europe this season, but not so much in the Premier League, where they are still involved in the battle to avoid relegation. A win at home would do wonders for their cause, and a victory here would cement their title chances in Europe for the first time since 1999, when they won the defunct Intertoto Cup. David Moyes' side made it this far in the UECL by winning Group B with a perfect record. Their next tie came against AEK Larnaca, a team they defeated with a 6-0 aggregate in the Round of 16. Their following Conference League clash came against Gent, who managed to draw the first leg (1-1) but eventually lost the crucial game and gave the Hammers a 5-2 win in aggregate. Despite their shaky season at home, West Ham is seen by many as the strongest team in the tournament and as the favorite to take the title home.
On the other hand, Eredivisie side AZ returns to a European semi-final for the first time in 18 years, following their performance in the 2004-05 UEFA Europa League, where Sporting kicked them out of the title race. AZ made it this far in this edition of the Conference League by winning Group E. Then, the Dutch side shocked Europe by claiming a 4-2 aggregate win against Lazio, who were considered title contenders prior to that clash. Their next tie in this tournament was quite dramatic, as they needed penalties to eliminate Anderlecht en route to the semis. Now, the Eredivisie side will want to add one more shock to their European run this season, and if they can do that, they will want to win their first-ever continental title and improve their performance from the 1980-81 UEFA Europa League, where Ipswich Town defeated them to take the crown home.
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