Empoli and Fiorentina meet at Stadio Carlo Castellani, in a match for the 35th round of Serie A. In the last direct match for this edition of the league, on 12-16-2018, Fiorentina won at home by (3- one). The record of direct confrontations in this stadium is favorable to the visiting team, which in the last 3 matches won 2 and lost 1. Indeed, the last time these two teams met in this stadium was on 20-11-2016, in a match for the Serie A that ended with the victory of Fiorentina by (0-4). F. Bernardeschi (26 ‘and 61’) and J. Iličić (47 ‘and 67’) scored the goals of the match for Fiorentina. The condition home / away deserves particular attention, because despite this being a match between 18 th and 11 th of the league table, it’s actually a match between the 13 th best team in home matches and the 12 th best in away matches.
Empoli:
The home team is currently in the 18 th position of the league, with 29 points won, after 7 wins, 8 draws and 19 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in a home match against SPAL, by (2-4). In the last match, they lost in an away match against Bologna, by (3-1). This is a stronger team in his home stadium, where he has won 24 points, against only 5 in his away matches. In the last 10 home matches for the championship, Empoli won 4, tied 2 and lost 4, for which they won 14 points out of 30 possible. The team has conceded goals in 9 of the last 10 matches and has not displayed great defensive solidity, but their offense has scored consistently, as they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In their home matches for this competition there is a tendency for goals, since 12 of the last 17 matches have ended with Over 2,5 goals. In 34 matches in the competition, they suffered the first goal 19 times and only managed 1 comeback. In the last 17 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 11 of their 29 goals between minutes (31′-45 ‘).
The Empoli comes to this game with a 3-1 defeat in the move to the Bologna arena, thus registering the fourth consecutive game without beating in this Italian championship: the only goal of the team was scored by Pajac. It should be noted that the locals need to win in the last four days, since they currently occupy a place in the relegation zone. In this match against Fiorentina, coach Aurelio Andreazzoli must keep the team in a 3-5-2, benefiting the maintenance of possession of the ball and organized attacks, mainly through the right flank. The Italian Francesco Caputo is the best score of the visitors, with 15 goals scored. For this game the coach of the house can not count on La Gumina, Pajac, Silvestre, Ucan, Maietta and Antonelli, all with physical problems.
Fiorentina:
After 8 wins, 16 draws and 10 losses, the away team is currently in the 11 th position of the league, with 40 points won. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Juventus, by (2-1). In the last match, they lost in a home match against Sassuolo, by (0-1). This is a team little affected by the house factor, since it conquered similar results at home and abroad. In the last 10 away league matches Fiorentina has a record of 3 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses, so they have won 13 points out of 30 possible. In their home league matches the most frequent result at half-time was the 0-0 (8 out of 17 matches). They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 9 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored frequently, since they have scored goals in 7 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 34 matches in this tournament, he suffered the first goal 13 times and only managed 2 comebacks. In the last 17 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have scored 8 of their 22 goals between minutes (76′-90 ‘).
The Fiorentina comes to this game with a defeat, by 0-1, against Sassuolo, registering in this way the tenth game in a row without tasting the taste of victory in the championship. However, it must be emphasized that visitors are already only fulfilling the calendar in this final part of the championship. On this day, against Empoli, coach Vincenzo Montella must keep the team in a 4-3-3, with Chiesa, the right end of the team, the one responsible for tormenting the opponent’s defensive line. However, the central midfielder Benassi is the best score of Fiorentina, with 7 goals scored. For this game the coach does not have Marko Pjaca due to physical problems.
