Rakow vs Fiorentina Prediction & Tips
A late penalty condemned Raków to a 2-1 defeat last Thursday in the first leg, despite having opened the scoring. The narrow margin keeps them in the fight to reach the quarterfinals for the first time, in just their second appearance in a UEFA group stage. A 3-1 loss in the Polish Ekstraklasa on Sunday wasn’t exactly ideal preparation, as the team dropped out of the European qualification zone domestically. This puts even more pressure on Łukasz Tomczyk’s side to advance in this competition, but they have shown they have ambition, finishing second in the league phase (W4, D2), with a run that included three wins in as many home matches played at this neutral venue.
Fiorentina followed up their first-leg success with a decisive 4-1 victory over Cremonese on Monday in a crucial match to avoid relegation from Serie A. This result moved the Viola four points above the relegation zone, but the tight battle in the league won’t distract them from Europe. Coach Paolo Vanoli stated after the first-leg victory that his team is “fighting to go all the way,” and their five wins in the last eight official matches (W1, D2) should give them the confidence to hold onto their one-goal lead. Fiorentina has also performed well on the road, with three wins in their last four official away matches (1 draw), including a 3-0 victory over Jagiellonia Białystok in their most recent match in this competition.
BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE @ 1.66
