Napoli look to extend their win streak to 10 matches in Serie A, but they’ll have to do it against a tricky team in Empoli, who have won the last three Serie A contests between these clubs.
SSC Napoli
Napoli come into this match on the match of yet another important victory against a direct rival. After Saturday’s 1-2 victory over Atalanta – the club’s ninth consecutive victory in Serie A – Napoli widened the gap between first and second in the table to six points.
It was the Azzurri’s fourth victory against a direct rival this season, after- wins over Lazio, Milan and Roma. All four of those victories were away from home and all four were one-goal victories, indicating that Napoli are finding a way to get results.
The Partenopei have fared relatively well against the top clubs in Serie A in recent seasons. It’s the mid- to lower-table clubs that have slowed them down. Empoli were the only club in all of Serie A to take all six points from Napoli last season. The loss as the Stadio Carlo Castellani, in which Empoli scored three times in the final ten minutes to come back from a two-goal deficit – extinguished any final hopes of Napoli winning the 2021/22 championship.
Empoli FC
Empoli enter this match sitting 14th in the table on 14 points. the other Azzurri will be boosted by their 1-0 victory over Sassuolo. That result came after losing to Juventus and Atalanta by a combined score of 6-0.
Unlike most newly promoted clubs, Empoli have maintained their identity. They don’t simply sit back and defend, which should benefit Napoli, who will look to exploit the space.
At the heart of Empoli’s struggles this season is an inability to score goals. Only Sampdoria have scored fewer goals (6) in Serie A than Empoli and Lecce (10). No Empoli player has bagged more than two goals all season. With Mattia Destro injured, the Tuscan side will look to Martin Satriano and Sam Lammers to increase their productivity, having scored one goal each this season.
Injuries/Suspensions
Amir Rrahmani continues to recover from a thigh injury that will keep the centre back out of the squad until 2023. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will miss his second consecutive match due to lower back pain.
Empoli will be without two centrebacks: Koni De Winter (thigh) and Lorenzo Tonnelli (ACL). Midfielder Alberto Grassi has a fractured rib, while Matteo Destro left the Sassuolo match with a calf problem.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
Luciano Spalletti:
No pre-match conference
Paolo Zanetti:
“The attitude is to do everything to bring home some points. We know the strength of Napoli, they are a wonderful team, they are among the top three in Europe at the moment. We must not already be projected to Friday. I will not make choices in consideration of the next game but by letting the best players play based on their physical condition…Napoli is a team that sets up with two players plus one, then all the others play in attack. They accept defensive parity, they know how to dribble and attack spaces, everything, we cannot afford to lose balance and we must limit tactical and individual errors. There must be cohesion, precision. We have tried many things but we will also need a bit of luck.”
Previous Meetings
| April 24, 2022 | Empoli FC | 3-2 | SSC Napoli |
| December 12, 2022 | SSC Napoli | 0-1 | Empoli FC |
| January 13, 2021 (Coppa Italia) | SSC Napoli | 3-2 | Empoli FC |
| April 3, 2019 | Empoli FC | 2-1 | SSC Napoli |
| November 2, 2018 | SSC Napoli | 5-1 | Empoli FC |
Match Officials
Head Official: Luca Pairetto
Assistants: Mauro Galetto and Giuseppe Di Giacinto
Fourth Official: Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi
VAR: Michael Fabbri and Giacomo Paganessi
