Olympiacos Vs Fiorentina: The Panel Prediction, Tips And Preview
Europa Conference Final Predictions:
- The Panel Tip 1 - Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score – 6/4 Coral
- The Panel Tip 2 - Ayoub El Kaabi To Score Any Time – 9/4 Bet365
- The Panel Tip 3 - Nikola Milenkovic To Be Carded – 15/4 Unibet
Olympiacos and Fiorentina will face off in the Europa Conference League final on Wednesday at the Agia Sophia Stadium (8pm, TNT Sports 1).
Our team at The Panel have put their collective minds together, analysing all the stats, trends and form of both clubs to come up with three betting tips.
There's a lot to consider as Olympiacos head across Athens to compete for the crown in the home of their rivals AEK after overcoming Aston Villa in the semi-finals.
Fiorentina battled past Club Brugge in the last four, giving themselves a chance to go one better than last season when they were beaten finalists against West Ham.
The Italian outfit are favourites with UK betting sites to win the Europa Conference League, but Olympiacos have defied their doubters before and will be dangerous in their own city.
The Panel are anticipating an entertaining finale to this year's competition with goals on the agenda.
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Olympiacos vs Fiorentina Prediction: Athens Final One For the Ages
Olympiacos have been on a rollercoaster ride to reach their first European final. They were on the precipice of being knocked out in the round of 16 after losing 4-1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the first leg of their clash before putting six past their opponents in the second leg to advance after extra time.
Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men then edged past Fenerbahce on penalties before stunning Aston Villa with two impressive performances.
The Greek side will be bullish over their prospects, but Fiorentina will be desperate to avoid a repeat of their loss to West Ham in the final last year. The Italians were downed by Jarrod Bowen’s late strike at the end of a game where they'd arguably been the better team.
Much like the Greeks, the Viola have been on a wild journey, narrowly edging out Maccabi Haifa, Viktoria Plzen and Club Brugge to reach their second straight final. Their clashes with Club Brugge were particularly dramatic with Fiorentina striking late in both legs to see off the Belgians.
Olympiacos will pose a threat in the final third through the talents of Ayoub El Kaabi. The Greek side have scored in seven of their eight Conference League matches, while Fiorentina have found the net in 12 of their 14 games. It’s also worth noting that games involving Olympiacos have averaged 3.5 goals per game, and Fiorentina 3.17 GPG.
Neither team have been overly convincing at the back, so The Panel believe that we’ll see goals at both ends in this final. Both teams to score is priced at 10/11 with football betting sites, but we like the value of adding over 2.5 goals into the equation boosting our odds to 6/4 with Coral.
The Panel Tip 1: Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score – 6/4 Coral
El Kaabi To Deliver For Olympiacos
El Kaabi was outstanding for his side in the semi-finals. The Morocco international scored five goals in the tie to send Villa packing from the competition, including a hat-trick at Villa Park.
No player has scored more goals than El Kaabi in the Conference League this season, which is incredible considering that he has only played eight matches. He has scored in all but two games, drawing a blank in both legs of the quarter-final tie against Fenerbahce.
Fiorentina will be desperately studying Fenerbahce’s approach to emulate their success in shutting down El Kaabi.
The forward did not end the domestic campaign in sparkling form, failing to find the net in three straight matches.
That could be a concern, but he does seem to raise his game under the European spotlight. El Kaabi is the favourite on most betting apps in the goal scorer markets to score any time or to break the deadlock.
The Panel feel his odds of 9/4 to score any time offer decent value given his record in the Conference League this season.
The Panel Tip 2: Ayoub El Kaabi To Score Any Time – 9/4 Bet365
Look Out For Milenkovic Card
Nikola Milenkovic has accrued four yellow cards in the Conference League this term, making the Fiorentina defender the most cautioned player competing in the final.
Milenkovic’s disciplinary record catches the eye even more considering that he has only played eight matches, meaning he's averaging a yellow card every other game.
The Serbian did get carded in the second leg of Fiorentina’s clash with Club Brugge, so he’s not due a caution.
Referee Artur Soares Dias is more lenient in his European matches than he is in the Primeira Liga in Portugal, but The Panel still think that Milenkovic could be on a collision course with the official.
He averages two fouls per game in the Conference League and that could lead to a caution at odds of 15/4 with Unibet .
The Panel Tip 3: Nikola Milenkovic To Be Carded – 15/4 Unibet
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