Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano says they are keen to repeat last seasons run to the Conference League final. The Viola host Maccabi Haifa at the Artemio Franchi on Thursday, heaving earned a 4-3 win in the first leg. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia about the fixture, Italiano explained what he expects from Maccabi and reminisced about the clubs run to last seasons final against West Ham:
“The concept is clear: I am convinced that they will try to come out strong to rectify the result from the first leg, but we must be ready. They are a formidable opponent, and although we won the first leg, it’s not over. We need to capitalize on this slight advantage.”
Continuing to discuss their European experience, Italiano reminisced, “Last year’s journey was fantastic. In the Conference League, we never played defensively; we always aimed to win. I believe there’s no team that prepares a game just to manage it. It would be crucial to unlock the game first, but in Europe, teams transform, so we need to be attentive.”
Italiano also confirmed the availability of Lucas Martinez Quarta, stating, “Tomorrow we won’t have Milenkovic, but we’ll have Quarta back. He’s now 100%, trained well, and will be available for the match.”
On the topic of penalty shootouts, Italiano remarked, “We need to consider extra time and penalties. We train for them, but in the league, we’ve been hit by a curse. For me, it’s just a phase; the situation will improve. Consistency in performance is our major issue. Even in the first leg, we conceded something, whereas against Roma, we were more focused. Sometimes we’re a bit more careless. Now, important matches are coming up, so we need to iron out these details if we want to achieve success. We need to learn to hate defeats. Even the draw against Roma felt like a loss to me.”
