Betis take on the visitors Fiorentina in the first leg of UEFA Conference League semifinals. The match will be played on Thursday, April 1st at Estadio Benito Villamarin, Sevilla.
Betis have shown consistent form under their current manager, Manuel Pellegrini. The Chilean led them to Copa del Rey success in 2022 and has kept them in the European conversation, even if they fall short of the Champions League zone. Currently, Betis are battling Villarreal — a team they edged for seventh last season — now trying to catch them in the race for fifth, which could grant a Champions League spot this time. Simultaneously, the Spaniards are pushing forward in the UEFA Conference League. After confidently dispatching Kryvbas in qualification, they struggled early in the group stage, collecting just one win from their first four games. However, back-to-back victories in December saw them squeeze into the knockout rounds. Since then, they’ve steadily eliminated Gent, Vitória Guimarães, and Jagiellonia with composed, professional performances. Their recent form is encouraging too — they’ve won three of their last four in La Liga, including an impressive away win over Real Sociedad. With Pellegrini’s tactical discipline and a solid core of experienced players, Betis are peaking at the right time.
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Fiorentina bring rich but bittersweet European experience. The Viola reached the final of the UEFA Conference League in 2023, only to fall to West Ham. A year later, they returned to the final stage — but again came up short. This season, Vincenzo Italiano was replaced by Raffaele Palladino, formerly of Monza. Yet little has changed, especially domestically, where they are once again on course to finish eighth for a third consecutive year. In Europe, they narrowly avoided an early exit last summer, advancing past Puskás Akadémia on penalties after two draws. But they then cruised through the group stage with little difficulty. In the knockouts, they got past Panathinaikos (losing 2-3 before winning 3-1) and Celje (2-1 and 2-2). Now, however, they face a much tougher challenge in Betis. Fiorentina’s away form has been inconsistent of late, with just one win in their last five on the road. Their defensive fragility could be exposed against a Betis side that thrives in front of its home fans.
In 2014, the Italians won a friendly match. Eight years later, the sides met again in a similar format — and this time the Spaniards took revenge. Pellegrini is far more experienced than his opposite number, and his team has home advantage — expect the Beticos to come out on top.
Prediction for the match: Betis to win.
