Empoli vs Fiorentina Preview & Prediction | 2024-25 Italian Serie A
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It is Derby Arno this weekend as the eyes of Italy turn to Florence on Sunday as Empoli and Fiorentina take each other on with Empoli surprisingly starting the season much the better of the two sides.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Sunday 29th September, 2024 - UK – 5:00pm / US ET – 12:00pm / US PT – 9:00am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Not televised / US – Select matches will be televised on CBS Sports so it is worth checking their schedule
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – OneFootball / US – Paramount+
EMPOLI PREVIEW: D’AVERSA’S JOB
Last season, Empoli required three managers to eventually escape relegation on the final day of the season with Davide Nicola eventually ensuring top-flight status following the sackings of Paolo Zanetti and Aurelio Andreazzoli. Nicola has since departed for Cagliari with former Lecce boss Roberto D’Aversa taking the reins.
Optimism was quite low when D’Aversa arrived but Empoli have enjoyed a magnificent start to the campaign. The home team have already beaten Roma this season at the Stadio Olimpico and now come into this weekend on the back of a defeat of Nicola’s Cagliari in Sardinia last weekend before a shock win in Turin against Torino in the Coppa Italia in midweek.
FIORENTINA PREVIEW: PRESSURE ON PALLADINO
Fiorentina begin their 2024/25 UEFA Europa Conference League campaign in the coming week after being runners’ up in the competition in each of the last two seasons. I Viola squeezed past Hungarian side Puskas Akademia on penalties in the playoffs and that underwhelming result has been representative of their slow start to the season.
Following the departure of Vincenzo Italiano to Bologna and the subsequent appointment of Raffaele Palladino from Monza, Fiorentina have struggled to create anything remotely cohesive in either defence of attack with just one victory inside 90 minutes in seven matches across all competitions so far this season.
EMPOLI TEAM NEWS: INJURY ISSUES
Summer signing Saba Sazonov has joined the Empoli injury list to accompany Nigerian defender Tyronne Ebuehi, who is recuperating from an ACL injury.
They also have several doubts for this weekend’s Florence derby as Samuele Perisan remains a possible absentee alongside Jacopo Fazzini and key man Szymon Zurkowski.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Devis Vasquez; Goglichdze, Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Anjorin, Grassi, Pezzella; Colombo, Henderson; Esposito
UNAVAILABLE: Ebuehi (Injured), Sazonov (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE: Perisan (Injured), Fazzini (Injured), Zurkowski (Injured)
FIORENTINA TEAM NEWS: PONGRACIC FRUSTRATION
Big money summer signing Croatian defender Marin Pongracic is now dealing with an injury after missing some key games already this season due to suspension.
Palladino has always preferred a back three and is persisting with that despite the relative success that Italiano had almost exclusively deploying a back four at the Artemio Franchi.
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): David de Gea; Lucas Martinez Quarta, Comuzzo, Biraghi; Dodo, Cataldi, Mandragora, Gosens; Colpani, Bove; Kean
UNAVAILABLE: Pongracic (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
EMPOLI VS FIORENTINA PREDICTION
The Florence derby doesn’t often have much at stake and probably isn’t the biggest game or rivalry for either side but there is a lot of intrigue for this one given the respective starts of the two teams. Empoli are the dominant side in the league table, albeit after just five matches, and they will be confident of hurting a Fiorentina side lacking cohesion and, to be honest, lacking the quality they have had from recent years.
EMPOLI VS FIORENTINA TIP: DOUBLE CHANCE – EMPOLI TO WIN OR DRAW
