Empoli vs Lazio Preview
The empoli Vs Lazio preview, gives the information of the teams news as Lazio plays its last fixture of the season to keep its place in second, while empoli hosts them at Estadio Carlo Castellani.
Lazio being placed after the title winners Napoli with maximum points difference, Empoli welcomes Lazio as they are placed in the 14th place of the table. By this victory Luciano Spalletti, Napoli Manager decided to take a break from his football manager career.
Almost embarrassed in their final home game of an impressive campaign, Lazio required a late winner from midfield maestro Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to see off relegated Cremonese at Stadio Olimpico last week; victory on Saturday would therefore secure second spot.
Some have interpreted the Serbian’s double strike as something of a send-off after several successful years at the Biancocelesti’s service, but he must at least commit one final performance to the cause in Paolo Zanetti’s side, where Lazio have won on each of their last three visits.
Having won just one of five games prior to beating Udinese and Cremonese to round off May, Maurizio Sarri may have worried that his side’s season was petering out, but they now boast a 10-point cushion to fifth-placed Atalanta; ensuring they will play Champions League football for the first time since 2020.
Lazio have now earned 71 points to move clear of outgoing champions Milan, city rivals Roma and Champions League finalists Inter, and with a win this weekend they would also record their second-best tally in a top-flight campaign.
In addition to a long series of clean sheets, Sarri’s men have notably won 34 of those points on the road – again, the club’s second-best performance in a single Serie A season.
Team News and Injury
Preferring continuity as Lazio seek a third straight win to conclude their campaign, Maurizio Sarri is set to name a similar side to that which fought back for a 3-2 win over Cremonese.
However, Felipe Anderson could unseat Pedro on the right wing; completing a familiar attacking trident along with Mattia Zaccagni and captain Ciro Immobile.
Danilo Cataldi returns from injury in time for the trip to Tuscany, leaving Adam Marusic as the only player unavailable to Sarri on Saturday.
Despite Cataldi’s comeback, Matias Vecino is still set to start in midfield, joining Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who has been directly involved in more Serie A strikes than any other midfielder this season (17 – nine of his own and eight assists). The latter needs just one more goal to reach double figures for a third time in the Italian top flight.
Empoli are expected to retain Atalanta loanee Roberto Piccoli up front, with veteran striker Francesco Caputo perhaps starting on the bench after recovering from the illness that kept him sidelined last week.
Koni De Winter (knee), Tyronne Ebuehi (collarbone) and Razvan Marin (calf) are all ruled out for the hosts due to injury, while Jacopo Fazzini continues to deputise for fellow young gun Tommaso Baldanzi, who is on international duty with Italy’s Under-20s.
Meanwhile, Fabiano Parisi and Filippo Bandinelli return from suspension, and both should slot straight back into Paolo Zanetti’s first XI.
Head-to-head stats
The two teams have squared off 29 times in all competitions, with their first meeting dating back to 1986 in Serie B. As expected, the visitors have dominated proceedings against their northern rivals with 16 wins. The hosts have five wins and eight games have ended in draws.
The visitors are unbeaten in their last eight meetings against the hosts, though the last two meetings have ended in draws, including a 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture in January.
Empoli have won four of their last five home games in the Serie A. They have scored nine goals in their last three home games while conceding just thrice in that period.
The hosts have won three of their last five league games, it took them 17 games to record their previous three wins.The visitors have lost two of their last three away games
Prediction
Lazio have only lost four times on the road this term, so there is every chance of the Aquile soaring to victory in Empoli – which is no mean feat, given the hosts’ recent results there: Sarri’s side can score from several sources and also boast the second-best defensive record in Serie A.
