Preview: Empoli vs Udinese – prediction, team news, lineups

With one point behind the guests in the Serie A standings, Empoli will try to skip Udinese with a win at the Stadio Castellani on Monday evening.

While the Azzurri continued to exceed expectations, their opponents slipped the table by losing three games in a row before the break.

Game preview

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Although they allowed inferior Lecce to fight back and earn a 1-1 draw in their last game, Empoli still returned to Tuscany relatively grateful that they were able to add another point to their total.

Pietro Pellegri – who had scored his first goal for the club just a few days earlier – opened the scoring with an unstoppable finish into the bottom corner, but the hosts not only equalized well into the second half, but also hit the woodwork twice.

By hanging on until the final whistle, Empoli moved into the top half of the table, ahead of bigger clubs like Torino and Roma – and just three points behind mighty AC Milan.

Since Roberto D’Aversa Having taken the lead in the summer, the Azzurri have lost just three of their 14 games in all competitions and can look forward to next week’s Coppa Italia clash against local rivals Fiorentina with a place in the quarter-finals on the line.

Having lost just one of their last six home games against Udinese in Serie A, they can expect to at least avoid another defeat on Monday – despite having only scored one league goal against the Castellani this season.

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Including two draws last season, Udinese are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Empoli, alongside whom they narrowly survived in a dramatic finale to the 2023/24 Serie A survival battle.

However, the Bianconeri have lost their last three games before international football intervened – against Venezia, Juventus and Atalanta BC – and will travel to Tuscany amid a serious decline in form.

Head coach Kosta Runjaic made an impressive start in Udine, initially leading his new club into Italy’s top five, but recently returned empty-handed from four away games, conceding nine goals in the process.

Last time out, Udinese took the lead by taking the lead Hassane KamaraAtalanta’s stunning goal in first-half injury time struck back after the break in Bergamo to hand the visitors a 2-1 defeat.

Nonetheless, most Friulians fans would have been pegged for ninth place in the table after 12 games, after Runjaic inherited a squad that almost stripped the club of its long-standing Serie A status.

Form of Empoli Serie A:

Udinese Serie A form:

Team news

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Partly due to absences, Roberto D’Aversa is likely to line up Empoli in a 3-5-2 formation with Milan’s loanee Lorenzo Colombo He joined the rejuvenated Pietro Pellegri at the helm.

The latter, who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career – which also took him to Milan and Monaco – scored a goal in each of his last two games and has now scored in three games in a row for the first time – either in the series A or in Ligue 1.

Although D’Aversa has two weeks to recover some players, he will still be missing several players on Monday: Szymon Zurkowski, Samuele Perisan, Tyronne Ebuehi, Saba Sazonov, Alberto Grassi And Jacopo Fazzini are all out due to injuries.

Meanwhile, Udinese’s attack is led by both Noan Davis or Lorenzo Lucca. Only since his debut in Serie A last season Duvan Zapata (10) has scored more headed goals in the Italian top flight than Lucca (six), but Davis also poses an aerial threat.

midfielder Martin Payero suffered a knee injury in training and will switch to the experienced striker Alexis Sanchez on the Bianconeri’s absence list; The former Arsenal striker is still awaiting his first appearance since returning to Udine due to ongoing calf problems.

Empoli possible starting lineup:
Vasquez; Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Henderson, Haas, Maleh, Pezzella; Pellegri, Colombo

Udinese possible starting lineup:
Okoye; Giannetti, Bijol, Toure; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Zarraga, Kamara; Thauvin, Lucca

We say: Empoli 0-0 Udinese

With Udinese not traveling well and Empoli often failing to score at home, it could be a closely contested clash.

Since two well-coordinated teams meet at Castellani, the result could even be a goalless stalemate.

For data analysis of the most likely outcomes, scores and more for this game, please click here.

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