Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino spoke to Sky Sport on the eve of the first leg of the Conference League semi-final against Real Betis. He began by addressing the return of Moise Kean to the squad. “Moise returned yesterday, trained normally, and is doing well,” Palladino stated. “I spoke with him; he is calm and eager to play. Obviously, I have many factors to consider because he was away from the pitch for a week, but he has returned with great desire. We have a very important match tomorrow, but also Roma afterwards and then the return leg. I need to manage a group that is giving me great satisfaction.”
On the Opponents` Quality
“The quality of our opponents is absolute. They have great champions and are a mature team,” Palladino commented. “They have a dean of coaches and football in Pellegrini, with over 1000 career matches. It will be good to face him. Tomorrow there will be many pitfalls: their passionate stadium, the football they play. We must not make the mistake of entering the field without courage or personality. They have the hottest crowd in Spain, and we know that, but we are in good shape and want to deliver our performance.”
Update on Dodo`s Injury
When asked about Dodo, Palladino replied, “He is missed a lot, obviously. He had and is having a fantastic season. However, he is recovering; today he started running. We evaluate him day by day. Those who have replaced him have done excellently, like Folorunsho on Sunday and then Parisi coming on. We are covered even in his absence.”
Feeling Emotional?
“Honestly, no, I am proud and happy with the journey,” Palladino concluded. “I am happy for the team; they deserved to play in this semi-final. Tomorrow will be difficult, and we know that well, but the dream is to reach the end, and we are here for that.”