Vincenzo Italiano admits Fiorentina fear Olympiacos’ ‘enthusiasm’ but is convinced the Tuscans have more experience than last season.
Italiano spoke at a press conference on Tuesday on the eve of a Conference League Final against Olympiacos in Athens. It’s not entirely a home fixture for the Greek side given that the match will be played at the AEK Athens Stadium.
Fiorentina play their second consecutive Conference League Final after losing to West Ham last year.
“The only thing that changes is that we’ve already been in this situation, but it will be 50-50,” said Italiano as quoted by TMW.
“They are strong, and we are strong. We must play a Final, and we have some experience. It’s like revenge for us, but we must make no errors and remain focused. The final must be played with a fire inside. It didn’t end well last year, but we’ll use that bitterness for a different end. We know the opponent is strong and of good quality, so it will be a tough match.
“We must not lose our identity. On the contrary, we must show organisation and a football spirit that helped us reach the final,” continued the Tuscans’ boss.
“We must feel the danger coming. There’s no time to replicate; it’s a final, so we need identity and termination. This match is too important.
Italiano reveals what Fiorentina fear ‘the most’ about Olympiacos in UECL Final
Olympiacos star Ayoub El Kaabi is the best scorer in the competition this season with 10 goals in eight appearances.
“We have prepared chains and padlocks,” joked Italiano, replying to a question about the experienced striker.
“Both he and the team have made an extraordinary journey. We are unbeaten [in the Conference League], but they put in incredible performances in the last few games. He knows how to score consistently and in any way. We’ll try to stop him with determination. He has confidence coming from a great end of the season.
“I didn’t know Olympiacos had already won in the stadium. It’s one more peril. But when you are on the pitch, everything goes in the background,” added Italiano.
“Half of the stadium will support Fiorentina; they play in their city, but nothing changes. We must put everything aside and focus on ourselves.
“What we fear the most is their enthusiasm, so we must create many opportunities and try to be concrete.
“They are an organised team that knows how to press behind the ball and attack quickly. They have experienced and quality players.”
Does he have any regret about Fiorentina’s results in Serie A?
“To me, we didn’t do so badly in Serie A. We finished seventh this season and twice eighth. We always qualified for Europe, and a double European Final is a great satisfaction,” the coach argued.
Italiano concluded by admitting that his players practised penalties.
“We did do it. We have many players with personality. We qualified for two Coppa Italia rounds on penalties, but we made some errors in league games. We’ll see how it goes.”