Game Preview: Fiorentina vs. Pacos de Ferreira - UEFA Europa League - Group E - September 19th, 2013



UEFA Europa League (UEL) Matchup - Fiorentina vs. Pacos de Ferreira - Team LogosFiorentina meet Pacos Ferreira in the first round of matches in the UEFA Europa League - Group E - at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence on Thursday, September 19th, 2013. The kick-off is at 19:00 CET.

Fiorentina finished 4th in the Italian Serie A last season. In the UEFA Europa League (UEL) qualification play-offs, they eliminated Grasshoppers on away goals after the two teams drew 2-2 on aggregate. The Florence side will be without their star striker Mario Gomez in the upcoming match as he suffered ligament damage over the weekend. Fiorentina are currently in 5th place in Serie A with two wins and one draw.

Pacos de Ferreira finished 3rd in the Portuguese Primeira Liga last season. They participated in the qualification play-offs for the UEFA Champions League where they were outplayed by a strong Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg 8-3 on aggregate. Pacos de Ferreira are off to a poor start in the Primeira Liga as well, having lost all four matches. To their defense, they have had to face strong teams such as Braga, FC Porto and Benfica.

The odds for the upcoming match in Florence are heavily in favour for the home side:

Fiorentina: 1/3
Draw: 4/1
Pacos Ferreira: 8/1

A 100 € bet on Fiorentina could yield 33 € in profit, while the same bet on the Portuguese side could yield 800 € in profit.

The favourite to score for FIorentina on Thursday is Giuseppe Rossi at 6/5 (bet 100 € for a chance to win 120 €). Silva Carlao is the favourite to score for Pacos Ferreira at 15/4 (bet 100 € for a chance to win 375 €).

How will Fiorentina perform without Mario Gomez?

Can Pacos Ferreira finally get a win after six straight losses to start the season?

We will find out on Thursday!

Should be an entertaining game.