Empoli and SPAL meet at Stadio Carlo Castellani, in a match for the 33rd round of Serie A. In the last direct match for this edition of the league, on 01-12-2018, the two teams tied (2-2) . The condition home / away deserves particular attention, because despite this being a match between 18 th and 14 th of the league table, it is actually a match between the 11 th best team in home matches and the 14 th best in away matches.
Empoli:
After 7 wins, 8 draws and 17 losses, the home team is currently in the 18 th position of the league, with 29 points won. In their last match, they tied with Atalanta by (0-0), after in the previous match they lost by (3-2), in a match against Udinese. This is a stronger team in his 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 5, drew 2 and lost 3, for which they won 17 points out of 30 possible. The team allowed goals to the opponent in 8 of the last 10 matches for this competition, so it has not been very strong defensively. In their home matches for this competition there is a tendency for goals, since 11 of the last 16 matches have ended with Over 2,5 goals. In 32 matches in this competition, they only got 1 comeback in the 19 games in which they suffered the first goal. In the last 16 home matches for this competition there is 1 period that stands out: they have conceded 9 of their 25 goals between minutes (31′-45 ‘).
The Empoli arrives at this game with a tie, to zero, in the displacement to the terrain of the Atalanta. However, the locals are in the relegation zone, that is, a win in this game is practically mandatory. In this match against SPAL, coach Aurelio Andreazzoli will play in the usual 3-5-2, privileging the defensive organization and the passes in depth for the attack, mainly, for forward Caputo and Farias. It is important to emphasize that the Empoli presents some competition in the offensive sector: transition defense-attack and stopped balls. For this game the local coach can not count on Silvestre, Polvani, La Gumina and Ucan, players recovering from injury.
SPAL:
The away team is currently in the 14 th position of the league, with 35 points won, after 9 wins, 8 draws and 15 losses. In the penultimate match, they lost in an away match against Cagliari, by (2-1). In the last match, they won at home against Juventus, by (2-1). This is a stronger team in their stadium, where they won 21 points, against only 14 in their away matches. In their last 10 away matches for the championship the SPAL has 2 wins, 2 draws and 6 losses, so they have won 8 points out of 30 possible. They have not been very strong defensively, since they have suffered goals in 8 of the last 10 matches, but their offense has scored frequently, since they have scored goals in 9 of the last 10 matches for this competition. In 32 matches in this tournament, he suffered the first goal 15 times and only managed 2 comebacks.
The SPAL comes to this game very motivated, after a 2-1 triumph in the reception to the leader, Juventus, thus adding the fourth victory in the last five games: the goals of the team were scored by Bonifazi and Floccari. Usually the visiting team has a very direct style of play, with long passes, without great criteria, betting a lot on long distance shots. As is natural, the main weaknesses of the SPAL are in the defensive sector. Andrea Petagna is the great individual highlight, being the best score, with 12 goals scored. Mohamed Fares will be out of this game, by suspension.
