Tomáš Ujfaluši discusses the Europa Conference League final and predicts the winner

It is difficult to find a favorite for the final even for bookmakers, who see it as completely even from the point of view of the odds. “The final is a specific match and for many players it can be the only chance of a lifetime. One does not know how, for example, the head will work. Fiorentina are struggling to keep possession and may be caught off guard by the way West Ham enter the game. Players and coaches need to prepare for it,” explains the weight of the final moment for Ujfaluš, who won the Europa League with Atlético Madrid in the 2009/2010 season.

“If it works out, it’s fantastic. In case of failure, it would probably be a very big disappointment. The others always have it worse. I believe it will be West Ham,” smiles the 45-year-old native of Rýmařov, who at the same time points to the strengths of the Premier League’s fourteenth team in the past season. “I don’t follow the English league much. But I can say that West Ham is more of a physical team. They have strong players and the standard situation,” explains the bronze medalist from EURO 2004.

The pair of Czech representatives Vladimír Coufal and Tomáš Souček can join the English team in the finals. “Right after the transfer, they became the mainstays of the team. Suk scored a lot of important goals and is an extremely hardworking player. He runs and fights a lot. Cuf is the same. A huge hard worker. He handles it very well in terms of fitness. They are very important players for West Ham,” he describes the qualities of the pair of permanent representatives.

On the contrary, on the side of the Italian team, Antonín Barák could step onto the pitch, who largely contributed to the progress of the “Violets” right into the decisive match. However, in the last league match, the coach was absent due to illness. “I think that the coach will not want to change the line-up. Two they won the league matches. Maybe he will keep Tonda as a joker,” says Ujfaluši. “The winning line-up does not change and I also see Barák in the position of a joker,” added Lizec, who, however, points to the fact that Barák is returning to Eden and the coach could accommodate him in the starting line-up.

The Přímák program also discusses the situation of the twenty-eight-year-old Barák, who did not fit into Jaroslav Šilhavy’s latest nomination for the Czech national team. The reason is supposed to be the player’s bad behavior. Some sources even state that he was supposed to be critical of Souček and Coufal. “I confess that I did not even know such a thing. I only heard it today. I don’t know what happened there. I find it strange, I have never had any disagreements with players. Apparently, there must have been something there,” says Ujfaluši with wonder.

There were also tips for the overall winner of the Conference League. “Inside, I have a few percent for the London hammer,” Lizec sees the trophy in the hands of the English team. “If we already have it in Prague and it will be difficult to return here, then it would be nice 2:2 and then perhaps penalties,” smiles Ujfaluši, which will go to the scene of the European competition thanks to an invitation from UEFA.

In the football program Přímák with former representative Tomáš Ujfaluš, we also talked about his memories from his time in the Fiorentina jersey, how both final teams had a difficult path to the fight for the trophy itself, or what the future looks like for some West Ham players in the summer transfer window. The winner of the Turkish league reminded us of the aforementioned triumph from the European League in the 2009/2010 season.