There is trouble in the camp which could hand West Ham an “easier” Europa Conference League final opponent.
West Ham are preparing for one of the biggest games in the club’s modern history in Holland on Thursday night.
The Hammers take on AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final.
The tie is delicately poised at 2-1 to West Ham after David Moyes’ side came from behind to gain a narrow lead at the London Stadium last Thursday night.
Michail Antonio’s outstretched toe has given West Ham the advantage in the tie heading into the game.
And it has Hammers fans dreaming of making the final in Prague against either Basel or Fiorentina.
Are the stars aligning for fortune to come out of hiding for West Ham
Many feel the stars have aligned for West Ham to win their first major trophy for 43 years with the favourable draws from the group stage to the knockouts seeing the Hammers avoid every big hitter in the competition.
While West Ham still have a big job to do to make the final, there is no doubt the preferred opposition should they make it there would be Basel.
Fiorentina have been blowing teams away at times this season and are eighth in a very strong Serie A.
They are also in the final of the Coppa Italia against Inter Milan.
Trouble in the camp could hand West Ham “easier” Europa Conference League final opponent
Basel are an experienced European outfit but Fiorentina’s side has a real sprinkling of star quality.
Having beaten Alkmaar last week, West Ham fans were delighted to see Basel had turned their own semi vs Fiorentina around to beat the Italians 2-1 in the last minute in Florence.
Basel lost 6-1 to St Gallen at the weekend. And they are sixth in the 10-team Swiss top flight. So it is clear West Ham would rather play them in the final should they make it there.
Well trouble in the camp could hand West Ham that “easier” Europa Conference League final opponent.
Football Italia has reported claims of a tense atmosphere within the locker room at Fiorentina.
Longstanding Moyes target Jovic scores team spirit own goal which could help Hammers
It comes as duo Luka Jovic and Aleksa Terzic were reportedly forced to apologise after sharing an Instagram post criticising coach Vincenzo Italiano for a ‘tactical disaster class’ against Basel.
Longstanding West Ham target Jovic and Terzic shared a post on their Instagram Stories from an account called ‘teamjovic7’ after the defeat.
It was extremely critical of coach Italiano’s choices, accompanied by a picture of Jovic and Terzic jerseys hanging in the dressing room of the Stadio Franchi.
Both players were forced to apologise to Italiano and the club. And they could also be fined. The account also published a new post apologising for the problems it caused but not the criticisms it made.
Fiore-us – fans unhappy after club “agree” to let star midfielder leave
And that’s not all.
Fiorentina fans are said to be unhappy after the club “agreed” to allow star midfielder Sofyan Amrabat – another alleged West Ham target following his performances at the World Cup with Morocco – to join Barcelona this summer.
With reports of discontent at Fiorentina and the second leg being away, it must make Basel favourites.
And that – on the face of it – would be great news for West Ham.
But Moyes’ boys must, of course, handle their own business first on Thursday night.
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