Nico Gonzalez FLORENCE, ITALY - APRIL 18: Nicolás Iván González of ACF Fiorentina celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 Quarter-final second leg match between ACF Fiorentina and Viktoria Plzeň at on April 18, 2024 in Florence, Italy.(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images. (Juventus done deal)
FLORENCE, ITALY - APRIL 18: Nicolás Iván González of ACF Fiorentina celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 Quarter-final second leg match between ACF Fiorentina and Viktoria Plzeň at on April 18, 2024 in Florence, Italy.(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images

Fiorentina start Andrea Belotti upfront with support from Nico Gonzalez and Giacomo Bonaventura in the Conference League Final against Ayoub El Kaabi’s Olympiacos.

It kicks off at the AEK Arena in Athens at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.

This is an opportunity for redemption after Vincenzo Italiano’s men lost last season’s Final 2-1 to West Ham United.

Many of those players remain the same and they have extra motivation, wanting to win for director Joe Barone, who died in March.

Riccardo Sottil is the only injury absentee, with Gaetano Castrovilli not on the UEFA list.

Bonaventura is given a free role, able to push forward as a trequartista in a 4-2-3-1 or deeper in a 4-3-3, with Nico Gonzalez and Christian Kouame flanking Belotti.

Nikola Milenkovic is preferred to Luca Ranieri in central defence.

Olympiacos started the campaign in the Europa League group phase, dropping down to the Conference League in February.

They are on their third coach of the season and a familiar one to Italian football, because Jose Luis Mendilibar was the Sevilla coach when beating Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the Europa League Final last year.

El Kaabi is the top scorer in the tournament with 10 goals in eight games, including five in the semi-final alone against Aston Villa.

Left-back Francisco Ortega returns to the starting XI a month after injury.

Although this is the stadium of their rivals AEK Athens, the Final is still hosted in their home city, so Olympiacos do have an advantage there.

If Fiorentina win, then they qualify for the Europa League and Torino enter the Conference League, having finished ninth in Serie A.

Olympiacos vs. Fiorentina line-ups

Olympiacos: Tzolakis; Rodinei, Retsos, David Carmo, Ortega; Chiquinho, Iborra, Hezze; Podence, El Kaabi, Fortounis

Olympiacos bench: Paschalakis, Papadoudis, Andre Horta, El-Arabi, Alexandropoulos, Quini, Masouras, Joao Carvalho, Jovetic, Richards, Apostolopoulos, Ntoi

Fiorentina: Terracciano; Dodo, Milenkovic, Martínez Quarta, Biraghi; Bonaventura, Arthur; Mandragora; Nico Gonzalez, Belotti, Kouamé

Fiorentina bench: Christensen, Lopez, Beltran, Ikone, Ranieri, Nzola, Infantino, Faraoni, Duncan, Kayode, Parisi, Barak

Ref: Soares Dias (POR)

Player statistic

1st half
Daniel Podence Yellow card 29'    
    42' Yellow card Lucas Martínez Quarta
2nd half
    79' Yellow card Christian Kouamé
Extra time
Stevan Jovetic Yellow card 94'    
Alexandros Paschalakis Yellow card 95'    
    99' Yellow card Cristiano Biraghi
Ayoub El Kaabi
(Assist: Santiago Hezze)
Goal 116'    
Ayoub El Kaabi Yellow card 117'    

Match statistic

46
Possession %
54
6
Total shots
17
4
Shots on target
4
2
Shots off target
5
0
Blocked shots
8
5
Corners
6
4
Offsides
3
10
Fouls
17
Olympiacos
Fiorentina

Starting lineups

88
16
Defender
3
Defender
91'
45
23
Defender
6
Midfielder
78'
7
73'
32
Midfielder
8
Midfielder
9
Attacker
120'
56
Attacker
106'
1
Goalkeeper
3
106'
2
Defender
4
6
Midfielder
74'
5
Midfielder
82'
38
Midfielder
20
Attacker
59'
99
82'
10
Attacker
106'

Substitutes

1
15
20
Midfielder
99
74
Midfielder
27
Defender
19
106'
11
Attacker
120'
22
Attacker
73'
5
Midfielder
78'
18
Defender
91'
65
Defender
8
Midfielder
22
Defender
53
Goalkeeper
33
Defender
19
Midfielder
16
Defender
106'
9
Attacker
106'
18
59'
32
Midfielder
74'
11
82'
72
Midfielder
82'

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