West Ham’s Italian defender Emerson Palmieri has given his teammates some insider information about his countrymen Fiorentina ahead of Wednesday night’s Europa Conference League final in Prague.
With Viola boss Vincenzo Italiano saying he is ready to use tactical fouls on their opponents on Wednesday night, Emerson says he knows exactly what to expect as the Hammers look to bring home their first European title since the 1964/65 Cup Winners’ Cup.
The Azzurri star says: “They try to stop the game. It’s their style. We need to take this on.
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“In Italy I know it very well. It is their mentality and we need to respect this, but we need to put our mentality on them.
“When we play people like this, when they try to stop the game, mentally you want to do something different and then it is foul, foul, foul. We need to try to find a solution.”
Emerson’s Fiorentina counterpart Cristiano Biraghi is focused on making the final as tough for the Hammers as possible and take on the trophy.
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Having missed out on the Coppa Italia to Inter Milan last month, he says: “When we played the Coppa Italia final against Inter, everyone thought Inter, which was the stronger team, would win and dictate the rhythm of play. Instead, the opposite was the case. I think the final outcome depends on different factors.
“Whatever happens, we will definitely have no regrets.”