After suffering defeat at the hands of the Little Zebras, the Blues take on the Partenopei this weekend, looking to dent their Serie A title hopes. Empoli F.C. vs. S.S.C. Napoli kicks off at 14:00 (GMT+1) on Sunday, April 24, at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Empoli were blown away in a 4-1 loss to Udinese at the Stadio Friuli last weekend and remain without a win in five Serie A games, LDLDL. In 14th place, Empoli, with 34 points after 8W, 10D, and 15L, are looking to avoid back-to-back defeats when they welcome Napoli to the Stadio Carlo Castellani in what would be their 34th Serie A appearance of the season. The club, on the other hand, have not won a game in the second half of the season. Empoli are looking to defy the historical odds of being the first team in Serie A history to remain in the top flight despite failing to win a game in the second half of the season. Aurelio Andreazzoli’s side are on a 16-game run without a win ahead of Sunday’s clash. The 68-year-old manager could line up the 4—3—1—2 with Andrea Pinamonti and Andrea La Mantia in attack. Pinamonti is the club’s top scorer, with 10 goals in 32 league appearances. With two assists in the bag, his contribution for Empoli in the final third remains at 27%.
Having gone top of the table following the narrow victory over the Blues, the Rossoneri are looking to pick up a win against Gli Azzurri in their quest to keep their place at the top of the table. The Serie A fixture, AC Milan vs. Empoli F.C., kicks off at 20:45 (GMT+1) on Saturday, March 12, at the San Siro.
Meanwhile, Empoli were unable to find their way past Genoa last weekend at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris and had to settle for a goalless draw against the Old Fool. In 13th place, the club has 32 points from 8W, 8D, & 12L and are without a win in five Serie A games: DDLLD, ahead of this fixture against AC Milan. Aurelio Andreazzoli is looking to return to winning ways, but a torrid run of form could see the dry patch continue. In the last 11 league match-days since the 17th of December, no side has earned fewer points than Empoli [six, on par with Venezia]. The dry run leaves the club without a single victory in those 11 games [0W, 6D, & 5L]. Aurelio Andreazzoli and Gli Azzurri could appear with the 4—2—3—1 formation, having Andrea Pinamonti in attack. Meanwhile, Ardian Ismajli is suspended for this weekend’s game.
The Serie A fixture, Empoli F.C. vs. Juventus F.C., kicks off at 18:00 (GMT+1) on Saturday, February 26, at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
It didn’t take more than a minute before Deadly Dušan silenced critics who went about digging up numbers from the heap over when he last found the back of the net. After recent struggles on domestic soil, the Serbian put the Old Lady in front 32 seconds after kick-off against Villarreal on his debut appearance in the UEFA Champions League. However, Juventus eventually picked up their third consecutive 1-1 draw across all competitions after Parejo (66’) hit the back of the net for the Yellow Submarine. With last weekend’s draw against Atalanta, Juventus remains in 4th place on the Serie A table, having picked up 47 points from 13W, 8D, & 5L. With back-to-back league draws, WDWDD, ahead of this fixture against Empoli, the Girlfriend of Italy would like to return to winning ways on Saturday when they take on the Blues. Massimiliano Allegri and the Bianconeri could adopt the 3—5—2 formation against the Blues with Dušan Vlahović and Morata in attack. Weston McKennie suffered a broken foot in the Champions League clash against Villarreal and is ruled out for the foreseeable future, while Paulo Dybala (thigh injury) and Kaio Jorge (tendon injury) are also sidelined.
The Italian Serie A TIM fixture, Empoli F.C. vs. AS Roma, kicks off at 18:00 (GMT+1) on Sunday, January 23, at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Empoli are coming off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Inter Milan in a round-of-16 Coppa Italia clash played earlier in the week on Wednesday. Empoli had a 2-1 lead through an own goal from Ionut Radu (76’ O.G.) with minutes left on the clock. But goals from Andrea Ranocchia (90’+1) and Stefano Sensi (104’) eventually denied Empoli the victory and sent the Well-Cherished One into the next round of the tournament. Back in Serie A, Empoli picked up a 1-1 draw against Venezia in their last domestic league appearance. A goal from David Okereke (73’), inspired by the second-half substitute, Nani, saw Empoli earn a point after Szymon Zurkowski (26') had hit the back of the net for the Winged Lions at the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo. The club remains without a win after five Serie A games, DLDLD, and in 11th place, having picked up 29 points after 8W, 5D, and 9L. Aurelio Andreazzoli hopes to pick up at least a point against his former side, Roma, on Sunday when both sides clash at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. The 68-year-old made his managerial debut at Roma, where he had 15 appearances in the coaching seat between February and May 2013 [8W, 4D, & 3L], recording an average of 1.9 points per game. A 4—3—2—1 formation is expected from the Italian manager, with Andrea Pinamonti in attack for this fixture against Roma.
The Serie A fixture, Empoli F.C. vs. AC Milan, kicks off at 20:45 (GMT+1) on Wednesday, December 22, at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Empoli salvaged a point in the 1-1 draw plagued by own goals at the Alberto Picco on Sunday. The visitors were on the front foot right from the get-go, making intelligent passes through pockets of space behind Spezia’s backline. However, resilient defending from the home side kept the stalemate intact till the end of the first forty-five. Five minutes after the break, an own goal from Riccardo Marchizza (50’ O.G.) saw Spezia take the lead. However, minutes later, another own goal, this time from Dimitris Nikolaou (71’ O.G.), saw Empoli level. The draw leaves Empoli unbeaten in five Serie A games, WDWWD. The Tuscans have not recorded a longer unbeaten streak in Serie A since March 2015 (8 games). However, the draw saw Empoli move one spot lower, from 8th to 9th place on the Serie A table, while having 27 points from 8W, 3D, and 7L. Andrea Pinamonti has been in remarkable form for Empoli, bagging 6 goals in 17 appearances for the club this season. He could return in attack, with Federico Di Francesco, in Aurelio Andreazzoli’s 4—3—1—2 formation. Patrick Cutrone, who is expected to play a part before the end of this clash, will have a point to prove when he takes on his former club, AC Milan.
The Serie A fixture, S.S.C. Napoli vs. Empoli F.C. kicks off at 18:00 (GMT+1) on Sunday, December 12, at the Stadio San Paolo.
Empoli bagged three points following the 3-1 win over Udinese at Stadio Carlo Castellani last Monday. However, Gli Azzurri remains rooted in 11th place despite the impressive victory. Having picked up 23 points from 7W, 2D, & 7L, Empoli is looking to cause an upset over the weekend by running away with at least a point from this clash of ninety minutes at the Stadio San Paolo. So far, the impressive numbers are their second-best haul at this stage of the competition after the 2015/16 campaign, when Empoli collected 24 points. Furthermore, Empoli’s haul of 23 goals this season is a club record after 16 Serie A matches. The Blues have lost only once in five games, and are undefeated in three, DLWDW, ahead of this fixture against Napoli. Aurelio Andreazzoli could appear along with Gli Azzurri adopting a 4—3—1—2 formation, with Federico Di Francesco and Andrea Pinamonti in attack. Pinamonti has scored six goals in Serie A this season, his best tally in a single top-flight campaign, and he aims to extend his tally on Sunday. Meanwhile, Empoli has a fully fit squad ahead of this fixture.
The Italian Serie A fixture, Empoli F.C. vs. Inter Milan, kicks off at 19:45 (GMT+1) on Wednesday, October 27, at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
After back-to-back defeats, Empoli got back to winning ways over the weekend following the 4-2 win over bottom-placed Salernitana. Andrea Pinamonti (2’) squeezed the ball beyond player and goalkeeper for an Empoli lead in the opening minutes. Nine minutes later, Patrick Cutrone (11) scored in the same fashion. An own goal from Stefan Strandberg (13’ O.G.), two minutes after Cutrone struck, saw Empoli with a comfortable three-goal lead. Andrea Pinamonti (45’ P.) bagged the brace and Empoli's fourth from twelve yards with a cheeky panenka, leaving a frustrated goalkeeper, Belec racing after him. Shortly after the break, Salernitana cut the deficit down to three with a goal from Luca Rainieri (48’) before an own goal from Ardian Ismajli (55’ O.G.) reduced the deficit to two. A similar performance should see Empoli pick up at least a point against Inter Milan on Wednesday, but considering the obvious difference in quality, a different outcome may emerge. Following the win, mid-table Empoli moved one spot from 11th to 10th place at the end of Matchday 9. The club has three victories in five games, WWLLW, and 12 points after 4W, 0D & 5L. Aurelio Andreazzoli went along with the 4—3—1—2 formation, leaving Pinamonti and Cutrone in attack. A similar shape with the same personnel may be seen when Empoli takes on Inter Milan for this midweek contest of ninety minutes at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
The Serie A TIM fixture, AS Roma vs. Empoli F.C. kicks off at 17:00 (GMT+1) on Sunday, October 3 at the Stadio Olimpico.
The visitors are in 8th place following last weekend's 4-2 win over Bologna on home soil. The victory leaves Gli Azzurri with 9 points from 3W, 0D, & 3L and a form that reads: WLLWW. An average of 1.5 goals scored per game leaves the club with 9 goals and a goal difference of -1, having conceded 10 times (1.67 goals-per-match). Manager Aurelio Andreazzoli could appear with the 4—3—1—2 formation once again, with the duo consisting of Federico Di Francesco and Andrea Pinamonti in attack. Andrea Pinamonti has scored two goals in his last three league appearances against Roma. A closer look at the numbers reveals he averages a goal every 94 minutes against Roma in Italy's top-flight division. His best ratio against all sides in Serie A. On availability, Riccardo Fiamozzi remains in doubt for this fixture.
Italian Serie A fixture, Juventus F.C. vs. Empoli F.C. kicks off at 19:45 (GMT+1) on Saturday, August 28 at the Juventus Stadium.
Newly promoted side, Empoli F.C. return behind the 3-1 defeat to Lazio at the Stadio Carlo Castellani on the opening day of the season. They picked up the lead in the opening minutes through Filippo Bandinelli (4'), - courtesy of an assist from Nedim Bajrami. However, the lead was chalked off two minutes later by Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (6'). A goal from Manuel Lazzari (31'), coupled with an additional effort from the penalty spot by Ciro Immobile (41' P.) condemned Gli Azzurri to a defeat. - The first since their return to Serie A, following a two-year absence. Coach, Aurelio Andreazzoli would like to mark his second day on the job, - in the domestic league with a win. He could line up with a 4—3—1—2 formation with the duo, Patrick Cutrone and Leonardo Mancuso sharing the goalscoring responsibilities. Luckily, Aurelio Andreazzoli would be able to make his selection from a fully fit squad.