Raków Częstochowa
- Raków Częstochowa are in the top five of Poland’s Ekstraklasa with 37 points from 24 games.
- Łukasz Tomczyk has been in charge of Raków since December 2025 and he has continued the European form the club has shown this season.
- They press high up the field, but are also very compact and dangerous on the counter-attack when the opposition pin them back.
- Jonatan Braut Brunes was the scorer of the away goal in Florence and is the team’s top marksman, so he could be the danger man again.
- Lamine Diaby-Fadiga is the more dynamic player, however, providing plenty of ammunition for Brunes in the Conference League with goals.
- Oskar Repka and Patryk Makuch will stretch Fiorentina’s defense with their wide play and will be crucial in determining which way the tie goes.
Fiorentina
- Fiorentina are in Serie A’s relegation places, 17th-18th with mid-20s points, so progress in the UEFA Conference League 2025-26 would be a big boost.
- Paolo Vanoli, who took over at Fiorentina in November 2025, has had the job of trying to stop the rot at the club.
- He has opted for a flexible approach to his tactics, setting his side up in either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 depending on the game, but the core principles remain similar.
- Fiorentina aim to control the tempo, overload the wide areas of the pitch and press in a controlled manner to create turnovers in good areas.
- Cher Ndour, who scored in the first leg and has been a standout in Europe, is their engine in midfield with a bit of a goal threat, while the engine of the team is provided by Giovanni Fabbian and Rolando Mandragora.
- However, their form has been patchy with only two wins from their last six competitive games in all competitions, including a nervy progression past Poland’s Jagiellonia in the previous round and an away defeat in Serie A.
- Only the away goal that Albert Guðmundsson scored in stoppage-time keeps them in the match after Raków’s superb away effort in Florence.
Head-to-Head
- This UEFA Conference League Round of 16 game is finely poised with Fiorentina in control by two goals to one on aggregate going into Thursday’s second leg at Rakow Czestochowa.
- The home side, who need one goal to take the game into overtime or two to go through, will be confident of achieving the result they need because of the way Fiorentina have played this season.
- The teams have no competitive history prior to this season’s Conference League clash.
Key Players
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Raków Częstochowa:
- Jonatan Braut Brunes was the scorer of the away goal in Florence and is the team’s top marksman.
- Lamine Diaby-Fadiga is the more dynamic player, providing plenty of ammunition for Brunes in the Conference League with goals.
- Oskar Repka and Patryk Makuch will stretch Fiorentina’s defense with their wide play.
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Fiorentina:
- Cher Ndour, who scored in the first leg, has been a standout in Europe.
- Giovanni Fabbian and Rolando Mandragora are the engine of the team.
- Albert Guðmundsson’s stoppage-time away goal is crucial to their position in the tie.
Betting Insights
- The odds reflect the fine balance of power between the two clubs, with both teams priced at 2.62 to win the match and the draw at 3.3.
- Both teams to score is the better bet, however, at 1.67, because we expect both coaches to get their sides to play on the front foot to some extent.
Prediction
Draw looks likely in a tight contest.
