Heart of Midlothian vs Fiorentina betting tips: Europa Conference League preview, predictions and odds

October 03, 2022 at 10:40 am GMT+1

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Match preview

Not many would’ve predicted that Heart of Midlothian would be second in this group by the time this mouthwatering fixture came around.

This looked even less likely when Robbie Neilson’s side were demolished 4-0 by İstanbul Başakşehir on matchday one.

But, a week later, Hearts bounced back spectacularly, beating RFS 2-0 in Rīga.

Lawrence Shankland’s inch-perfect penalty and then Alan Forrest’s late clincher rubber stamping a famous away win.

This is the Jambos’ first appearance in a UEFA group stage since 2004, but a victory here would leave them in pole position to reach the knockout stages.

Fiorentina meantime were fully expected to secure a top two finish, but kick off in Edinburgh propping up the rest.

First, I Viola could only draw 1-1 with minnows RFS at home, despite taking the lead through Antonín Barák.

A week later, they were hammered 3-0 by İstanbul Başakşehir; Pierluigi Gollini punished for some calamitous goalkeeping in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Vincenzo Italiano’s team are 11th in Serie A, losing 1-0 to Atalanta on Sunday, meaning they’ve only won one of their last ten in all competitions.

Hearts meanwhile were demolished 4-0 by Rangers on Saturday, with Cammy Devlin’s first half red card not helping their cause.

Nevertheless, the home fans will sense that Fiorentina are there for the taking, so will Tynecastle witness a famous victory?

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