How to watch Basel vs Fiorentina online & on TV, head to head and predictions

FC Basel will try their best to prevent a second-leg Fiorentina comeback when they host the Serie A side at St. Jakob-Park in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals this Thursday.

The final of the tertiary European competition will take place at Fortuna Arena in Prague, Czech Republic. AZ Alkmaar or West Ham United from the other semi-final bracket will get to face the winners of this contest.

At Stadio Artemio Franchi, it looked like Basel was losing the first leg until an inspiring comeback equalized Arthur Cabral's 25th-minute goal with a fantastic solo effort from Andy Diouf. Then the visiting FCB claimed to win the game in the 92nd minute courtesy of Zeki Amdouni.

That climax from their last meeting sets the stage for a second-round anticipatory contest in Switzerland.

Under Heiko Vogel, RotBlau stands 6th in the Swiss Super League, four points away from qualifying for European spots with only three more games left. It is a drop in form from last year when the club finished 2nd. The team has won three and lost two of their latest five games in all competitions.

With a victory in Florence, they also became the first team from Switzerland football to win a semi-final tie in a major European tournament since Grasshopper did it in the 1977-78 UEFA Cup. Reaching the finals of this year's Conference League would boost Basel as it is the only way to find glory and still salvage this- otherwise uneventful campaign.

A staggering 6-1 defeat at the hands of St Gallen last weekend would have set off alarming bells for the hosts as now without the away goals rule- the one-goal advantage fails to provide a comfortable cushion to their narrow lead.

Vincenzo Italiano won't be too disheartened after failing to capitalize on a victory after displaying their dominance at home. The Violets remain 8th in the Serie A standings, ten points behind Roma at 6th. Like the hosts, even the visitors are in demand to gather a result for retaining their European status for the next season by securing a berth in the finals and winning this competition.

With two wins and losses with a draw in their recent five in all competitions, Fiorentina is in pursuit of continental silverware. The Lilies are the most offensive team in the competition, scoring 33 goals with an average of 2.5 goals per game. Arthur Cabral leads the charts for ECL's top-scorer with seven goals, while club captain Cristiano Biraghi leads the assist ranks with five.

For the hosts, defenders Arnau Comas and Riccardo Calafiori remain out of contention to feature with their injuries. For the visitors, only backup goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu remains on the sidelines.

Football fans around the U.K. can catch every action live on BT Sport 4.

Expert Insight: There's a fair amount of chance that the Serie A side will stretch this game out, even if they struggle to snatch the tie within regulation time. Considering Fiorentina's attacking prowess, they will be a difficult assignment for Basel, whose morale has got hampered after a rare thrashing over the weekend. The aggregate lead won't mean much as both teams will look to advance by opening scorelines with an early goal.