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West Ham stares at a realistic chance of returning to the Europa League for next season, while Fiorentina seeks to win the first of two possible trophies this season.
West Ham United take to the pitch in a European final for the first time in 47 years as they face Fiorentina on Wednesday night.
The Europa Conference League has been a welcome distraction from Premier League woes during the season for David Moyes and his players, but it now presents the Hammers with a huge opportunity to win their first major trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 1980.
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It will be West Ham's 15th European game of the campaign, a run spanning almost ten months, and victory will earn them a spot in the Europa League next season.
Fiorentina finished the Serie A season in eighth, meaning they too are relying on victory here to secure European football when the new season comes around. The Italian side have seen off the likes of Braga and Lech Poznan to reach the final.
Fiorentina have not won a major European title since the 1960/1961 European Cup Winners' Cup, but the Viola can dare to dream in Prague.
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They have firepower like no other side in the Europa Conference League this season, having scored 36 goals in 14 games en route to the final (including seven for competition top scorer Arthur Cabral).
Semi-finalists in the Europa League last season, David Moyes' West Ham have gone a step further in the Europa Conference League and a first major continental success since 1965 is in sight.
They may have reason to feel at home in Prague too: both Tomáš Souček and Vladimír Coufal played at Eden Arena during their time at Slavia Praha.
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Ahead of the final, Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Italiano said: "When we got to the stadium, my first thoughts were the start of this path; the play-offs in the Netherlands, and the 14 difficult games which gave us the chance to come here to play for a trophy. It was an incredible journey in which we grew match by match.
West Ham were one of the strongest teams in the tournament and they proved that by reaching the final. They have top-quality players, very strong. But we also reached the final so we are also strong and we are here to play all our cards. We are ready."
West Ham’s Scottish manager David Moyes said: "To be in a European final for any manager is a thrill. Hopefully it's a start [for West Ham] – I've always said I think the best years are to come – but I'm certainly enjoying the moment. I've been hugely impressed by Fiorentina; their form since the World Cup has been very good.
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"They've already got to one final [in the Coppa Italia] so that tells me they've got something. A difficult opponent; an Italian opponent is always difficult, so we respect that."
Possible starting line-ups
Fiorentina: Terracciano; Dodô, Igor, Milenković, Biraghi; Mandragora, Amrabat; González, Bonaventura, Ikoné; Cabral
West Ham: Aréola; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Souček, Rice, Paquetá; Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma
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Form guide:
Fiorentina
Form (all competitions, most recent first): WWLDWW
Where they finished: 8th in Italian Serie A
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West Ham
Form: LWWLWW
Where they finished: 14th in English Premier League
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