Genk will play host to the finalists from last season, Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League. Vincenzo Italiano will be hoping that his team can bounce back after suffering a last-minute heartbreak in Prague in order to have another opportunity to win on the continent.
Preview (Genk vs. Fiorentina)
La Viola had a bitter taste at the end of the previous season after losing their fourth final to Inter Milan. They had also lost the Coppa Italia final. They’ve displayed inconsistency with some huge victories and humiliating losses. The fact that they have scored nine goals in their first four Serie A games shows they are off to a good start. The hammering of Genoa and the remarkable victory against Atalanta. However, the 4-0 loss at Inter and the draw with Lecce were significant setbacks so early in the season. Following Juventus’ dismissal from the competition over the summer, Italiano’s team entered the competition late.
However, Rapid Vienna won the opening leg in Austria. It almost put a stop to their European campaign before it even got started. The turnabout in Florence was only made possible by a late penalty from star player Nicolas Gonzalez. He has now joined Ferencvaros and Cukaricki in a group with the runners-up from the previous year. These two teams should be confident in their chances of moving on if there is a draw. Genk has improved just in time for the start of their group stage after winning only one of their first five games this season. They dropped from the Champions League to the Europa League. Followed by the Europa Conference League as a result of their dismal start.
However, they have just one loss in their previous seven. Due to this form, they were able to advance to the group stage and have had a solid start in the league. Genk’s only defeat during that period occurred in the second leg of a playoff match against Adana Demirspor. They ultimately won on penalties. Since then, Wouter Vrancken’s team has played two challenging league games and collected four well-deserved points. This included a 2-0 victory at Union Saint-Gilloise and a 1-1 draw at Anderlecht. They played with 10 men for more than three-quarters of the game against Anderlecht.
Team News
Christopher Bonsu Baah can return to Genk after serving a domestic suspension for receiving a red card against Anderlecht. Although Andi Zeqiri scored on his debut in their victory over Union SG over the weekend, there hasn’t been a standout addition who appears to be replacing Mike Tresor, who had 25 assists last year. Tolu Arokodare will battle with Joseph Paintsil for a starting position because of his recent strong play. It included two goals off the bench this season. After moving from Sassuolo, Maxime Lopez will be available to Fiorentina for the first time.
Sofyan Amrabat’s successor hasn’t kicked a ball in a purple shirt yet due to a red card he received in his final match for the Neroverdi, but he should play here. Yerry Mina won’t be accessible because his ongoing muscular issues reappeared while serving in Colombia. Jonathan Ikone and Gaetano Castrovili’s health is also seriously questioned, while Antonin Barak made a comeback from injury over the weekend and played a late cameo off the bench. Since moving from Spezia to replace Arthur Cabral, who is on his way to Benfica, M’Bala Nzola will be hoping for another opportunity to start up front and try to break his duck. Genk got off to a terrific start and should perform admirably, but they might fall just short here.
Genk 1 – 2 Fiorentina
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