Sports Mole previews Monday’s Serie A clash between Empoli and Lecce, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Empoli hope to avoid slipping into the bottom three at the end of round 15’s Serie A action when they welcome Lecce to Stadio Carlo Castellani on Monday.
The 17th-placed side have picked up one point from their last two games, but their opponents have not fared better, securing two from as many fixtures.
Match preview
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Empoli are in free fall but have been assisted by the wretched form of teams around them that have prevented them from slipping into the league’s bottom three positions.
While every victory the Azzurri have nicked this term has come since Aurelio Andreazzoli replaced Paolo Zanetti at the club in September, those three victories still see them flirting with relegation.
Stunning wins at Fiorentina and beleaguered Napoli have been secured, but Empoli have not matched the same performance level against other sides, strikingly losing 2-1 to Frosinone and 4-3 to Sassuolo.
Last weekend’s 1-1 draw with Genoa was encouraging as Andreazzoli’s men fought back from Ruslan Malinovskyi’s first-half strike to level through Matteo Cancellieri after the interlude.
A point in isolation was a decent result, and Empoli must build on the outcome to have any chance of rising in the standings.
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It remains to be seen if Andreazzoli’s men can see off Lecce on Monday, with the away side playing out two draws in 270 minutes of action.
Those ties against Milan, Hellas Verona and Bologna have not been humdrum affairs, as Roberto D’Aversa‘s troops have netted in every game and conceded.
They were unfortunate not to defeat Stefan Pioli’s Rossoneri before November’s international break, after fighting back from 2-0 down to level 2-2 while having a late winning strike ruled out after a VAR intervention.
The Puglia-based club may feel they are due a win after failing to add to their three victories since defeating Genoa 1-0 in September.
Lecce were five undefeated after that game (three wins), but losing to Juventus on September 26 started an unwanted run of 10 matches without a triumph (nine in Serie A), a run they are keen to end at the Castellani.
Empoli Serie A form:
Lecce Serie A form:
Lecce form (all competitions):
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Team News
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Tommaso Baldanzi‘s ankle issue keeps him sidelined this weekend, and Giuseppe Pezzella‘s back problem rules out the defender on Monday.
Italy U20 World Cup defender Gabriele Guarino has been part of the Empoli squad, typically an unused substitute, but the centre-back’s injury keeps him outside the first-team squad.
As for Lecce, Mohamed Kaba is doubtful for Monday’s clash, while Jeppe Corfitzen is not expected to participate because of a shoulder injury.
The away side have had five distinct goalscorers in their recent three draws, suggesting D’Aversa’s men can get goals from anywhere on the pitch.
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Berisha; Bereszynski, Ismajli, Luperto, Cacace; Fazzini, Ranocchia, Maleh; Cancellieri, Caputo, Cambiaghi
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschiroto, Dorgu; Gonzalez, Ramadani; Strefezza, Oudin, Banda; Krstovic
We say: Empoli 1-1 Lecce
Lecce fans may not welcome the possibility of another draw, even if a fourth consecutive tie could be on the cards in Empoli, with three of their five recent meetings (Serie A and Serie B) ending without a victor.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.