Empoli will host Udinese in the first game of the Serie A this week. Both teams enter the match in the bottom four, which is starting to splinter, in what appears to be a potential early-season six-pointer for relegation.
Preview (Empoli vs. Udinese)
The importance of what a favorable outcome could achieve for either side in this match is highlighted by the fact that Empoli have lost six of their first seven Serie A games and Udinese are still winless. Since Tommaso Baldanzi’s decisive goal against Salernitana late last month, Empoli’s six losses have all occurred without them scoring a goal. With newly promoted Cagliari only having two points after seven games, the three points keep Empoli off the bottom of the standings for the time being. However, a Bologna team led by Riccardo Orsolini defeated Empoli 3-0 over the weekend. It was a result that worried manager Aurelio Andreazzoli greatly. The Italian international scored a hat-trick.
Only three games had passed since Andreazzoli took over for Paolo Zanetti after Empoli’s humiliating 7-0 loss to Roma. Given the difficult tests Empoli has ahead of them, with visits to Fiorentina and Napoli as well as a match here in the next five, they will have targeted the Bologna encounter as well as this forthcoming meeting with Udinese as prospective fixtures where they may take up points. However, Udinese did visit the Carlo Castellani and triumph last year, snapping Empoli’s three-match home winning streak in the contest. The visitors have yet to win a game this season after seven contests. Four draws mean they do begin the matchday outside of the relegation zone.
In their final league match against Genoa on Sunday, Udinese received a pretty lucky point. Udinese now has three goals in their past two games. It was an improvement over the one goal they scored in their first five games. Udinese must escape the relegation zone before beginning a difficult stretch of games in November. Three games on paper, appear to be incredibly difficult for Andrea Sottil’s team to win. Given the three-point deficit and weaker goal differential to Lazio, who sit one spot above them, Udinese will most certainly remain in 17th place even with a victory today at Empoli.
Team News
Daniel Maldini (muscle) and Elia Caprile (ankle) of Empoli might not be ready for this game yet. They will probably be back after the international break. Bartosz Bereszynski, a Polish international, and Giuseppe Pezzella won’t be available for Andreazzoli’s defense for the foreseeable future. Nicolo Cambiaghi and Steven Shpendi are yet to score in Serie A this season. They will compete with veteran Francesco Caputo for one of the two positions. Sottil currently has a soberingly large list of absent players, and that list is getting longer every week. Sandi Lovric won’t be joining the Udinese midfield for this journey to Tuscany because of a late red card.
New attacking recruits Brenner and Keinan Davis join the legendary Gerard Deulofeu on the sidelines due to a knee injury. Enzo Ebosse will miss another month due to a knee injury. Empoli’s recent performance leaves very little cause for optimism among their followers since six losses and six blanks have already been recorded. Despite being winless, Udinese has displayed greater tenacity and attacking prowess lately. They could win this matchup at the bottom of the standings.
Empoli 0 – 2 Udinese
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