Fiorentina is set to face a fascinating mix of old acquaintances and new challengers in the upcoming Conference League. The draw has revealed opponents that include a particularly poignant “last team” for Viola legend Giancarlo Antognoni: Lausanne. It will be interesting to see what thoughts cross Antognoni`s mind when his former team arrives in Switzerland. The draw also includes Rapid Vienna, Dynamo Kyiv, AEK Athens, Mainz, and Sigma Olomouc. Here`s a closer look at what awaits the Tuscan club.
Rapid Vienna
Fiorentina has recent history with the Austrian side, having met two years ago in a Conference League qualifier. Rapid Vienna won the first leg 1-0 at home, but Fiorentina secured a decisive 2-0 victory in the return match, with a brace from Nico Gonzalez. Rapid has since revamped its squad, featuring an intriguing attacking duo: Antiste (formerly of Sassuolo and Spezia) and, more notably, Claudy M’Buyi, a dangerous 1999-born striker who joined after scoring 21 goals last season for St-Pölten. The powerful Frenchman has quickly adapted, netting 4 goals in his first 10 appearances this season. Another new addition is Norwegian winger Petter Dahl (born 2003), already making an impact with 4 goals across league and European competitions. The defensive pair of Frenchman Yao and Serbian Cvetkovic offers more experience. Rapid Vienna is known for its resilience, having twice come back from the brink in this year`s qualifiers. They recovered from a 0-2 deficit against Dundee to win on penalties and overturned an aggregate loss against Hungarian side Győr.
Dynamo Kyiv
After failing to qualify for the Champions League (surprising losses to Pafos) and the Europa League (elimination by Maccabi Tel Aviv), the Ukrainian giants find themselves in the third-tier European competition. They aim to build on a strong start to their domestic league season, having collected 9 points from three games. Dynamo is perhaps less formidable than in previous years and relies almost entirely on Ukrainian talent. The only foreign player under coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi (a club legend who played for 23 years before taking charge in 2023) is Panamanian forward Guerrero. In attack, the evergreen Andriy Yarmolenko, turning 36 in October, was still in double digits last season, and Vladyslav Vanat, an Inter target last summer, decided to stay at Dynamo, contributing 21 goals in the previous season.
AEK Athens
The good news for Fiorentina is that their match against the Greeks will be played at home. This is significant for two reasons: firstly, it avoids playing in AEK`s notoriously fervent home stadium, which has been instrumental in their three preliminary round victories, including a recent triumph over Anderlecht. AEK remains unbeaten at home this season. Secondly, Fiorentina suffered a painful Conference League final defeat in May 2024 at the Greek stadium, a memory they`d prefer to forget. Luka Jović, who had a disappointing spell with Fiorentina three years ago, is now a new signing for AEK`s attack and has already scored in the Conference League against Cypriot side Aris. Another Serie A recruit, former Cagliari midfielder Marin, has quickly become a pivotal player in their midfield. AEK also features ex-Lazio goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha, former Juventus and Udinese player Roberto Pereyra, and veteran Croatian international Domagoj Vida in defense. A curious fact: their second-choice goalkeeper is Alberto Brignoli, who famously scored against AC Milan years ago. Last season, AEK experienced a dramatic 0-6 defeat in the Greek Cup against Olympiacos and finished fourth in the Super League playoffs, settling for a Conference League spot after being second at the end of the regular season.
Mainz
A comeback was needed, and a comeback was delivered. The German side overturned an away defeat against Rosenborg to secure their spot in the Conference League group stage. Much of their sixth-place finish last season (ahead of RB Leipzig) was due to Burkardt`s 18 goals. He was an unavoidable departure, moving to Eintracht for €20 million. Mainz acquired his successor, Benedikt Hollerbach from Union Berlin, for half that price. Their attack boasts quality: Korean international Jae-Sung Lee on the left and the talented 22-year-old Nebel on the right, who is already valued at over €20 million and reached double-digit goals last season. The midfield maestro, Nadiem Amiri, will be familiar to those with good memories from his time at Genoa four years ago. The rest of the squad is well-established, with 34-year-old Bell leading the defense alongside former Dortmund player Maloney and another Serie A veteran, Silvan Widmer.
Sigma Olomouc
Their Europa League campaign did not go well, as the Czechs suffered a comprehensive 5-0 aggregate defeat to Malmö, leading them to the Conference League. Sigma had given fans dreams of European glory in the early 90s, with memorable UEFA Cup runs that saw them stopped only by Real Madrid in the quarterfinals (1992) and Juventus in the round of 16 the following season. The Czechs are looking to write new history with recent acquisitions: striker Vasulin arrived from Viktoria Plzeň and has already scored twice this season. In coach Janotka`s 4-2-3-1 formation, the 2002-born Tkac shines on the left, having scored 9 goals last year for Zilina. Another interesting gamble is Nigerian forward Muhamed Tijani, signed from Plymouth. He and his teammates will aim to extend their Thursday night European journeys as long as possible.
Lausanne
As mentioned, Lausanne was Giancarlo Antognoni`s last club. The World Cup-winning star for Italy spent two years in Switzerland from 1987. Since then, Lausanne has had its own European adventures, notably facing Lazio in the 1998-99 Cup Winners` Cup. Lazio advanced on away goals (drawing 1-1 and 2-2) and went on to win the tournament. They also met Palermo in the Europa League in 2010-11, with the Sicilian side prevailing. This season, the Swiss team is performing well domestically. Their attack features 2005-born Gaoussou Diakite, signed from Liefering, while Brandon Soppy (formerly of Udinese and Atalanta) patrols the flanks. In goal, they have a familiar face from Sampdoria and SPAL, Ivan Letica. However, their European strength has primarily been their defense: Besiktas` attacks in the playoff, despite having an extra man, were repeatedly thwarted by the formidable central defensive pairing of Sow and Okoh, whose combined age is 44. Moise Kean and his teammates have been warned.
