Both beaten by one of Serie A's top two last weekend, mid-table rivals Empoli and Sassuolo will aim to bounce back at Stadio Carlo Castellani on Saturday.
While the hosts have lost their last two games without scoring, their Emilian counterparts had won three out of five before becoming Napoli's latest victims at Stadio Maradona.
Match preview
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Despite a 4-0 defeat to Juventus a fortnight ago, Empoli were still five points clear of the Serie A drop zone heading into last week's 12th round, with their only losses since August coming against Roma, Milan and Juve.
Faced by another top-six contender, in-form Atalanta, the Azzurri crumbled once again, as their visitors scored either side of the break to run out 2-0 winners at Stadio Castellani.
The last time Empoli lost three top-flight matches in a row was at the end of 2018, so coach Paolo Zanetti will be keen to arrest his team's slide - particularly as they benefit from home advantage again this weekend.
Though they lost their most recent home meeting with Sassuolo back in January, an overall tally of three wins from five Serie A home matches against the Neroverdi means they have the edge in terms of precedent, if not recent form.
The Tuscans' final away game before the World Cup is at Napoli's Stadio Maradona, where Saturday's visitors were slain last week, so capitalising on home fixtures with Sassuolo and Cremonese will be upmost on Zanetti's mind.
The former Venezia boss now comes face to face with one of his predecessors in the Castellani dugout, and does so while still struggling to establish himself at the club following an uncertain start to the season.
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Alessio Dionisi led Empoli back to the Italian elite during the 2020-21 season; averaging 1.92 points per game in Serie B - the second-best rate in club history.
Since he jumped ship for Sassuolo, Roberto De Zerbi's successor has found it tough to emulate the overachievements of recent years, with the decimation of his attacking department hardly helping that cause.
Following last week's 4-0 reverse at the hands of Napoli, the Neroverdi have scored 14 times in Serie A so far, which represents their worst tally after the first 12 games since 2017.
Losing Giacomo Raspadori and Gianluca Scamacca in the summer, then seeing Domenico Berardi and Hamed Traore sidelined by injury, has seen Sassuolo's front line take on a makeshift appearance, and former Empoli loanee Andrea Pinamonti has yet to find his shooting boots since switching to Reggio-Emilia.
Nonetheless, the visitors remain just a point outside the top half of the Serie A standings, and they will conclude the first part of a unique season by hosting Roma and then visiting local rivals Bologna. First, though, a trip to Tuscany awaits.
Team News
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Having recently extended his contract at the club until 2025, Empoli captain Filippo Bandinelli should feature in midfield for the hosts, who are likely to select Martin Satriano and Mattia Destro to start up front.
As the Azzurri have failed to score in over 200 minutes, though, Dutch striker Sam Lammers and young Nicolo Cambiaghi may come into contention too.
Paolo Zanetti could again be without Alberto Grassi and Lorenzo Tonelli due to injury, while Juventus loanee Koni De Winter is also a concern. The latter's absence would see Ardian Ismajli return to the back four.
While on loan at Empoli last term, Sassuolo's Andrea Pinamonti put together his best scoring season in Serie A (13 goals), but has been slower off the mark since joining from Inter on another temporary deal in the summer: at this point last year, he had scored four goals; two more than in the current campaign.
He is almost certain to start on his return to the Castellani, though, as Alessio Dionisi's woes in the final third continue: Armand Lauriente must serve a suspension, while experienced campaigners Domenico Berardi and Gregoire Defrel are still sidelined by injury.
Hamed Traore, Emil Konradsen Ceide and promising teenager Luca D'Andrea are therefore among the options available to support Pinamonti up front.
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Stojanovic, Ismajli, Luperto, Parisi; Henderson, Marin, Bandinelli; Bajrami; Satriano, Destro
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Thorstvedt; Ceide, Pinamonti, Traore
We say: Empoli 1-1 Sassuolo
Empoli and Sassuolo have never drawn a Serie A match in 10 previous meetings at the top level, but given both sides' recent troubles in attack, a low-scoring encounter could be on the cards. This term, the Azzurri have won just once at home; the Neroverdi only once away, so a stalemate is surely in store at the Castellani.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
