Despite edging closer to safety of late, a setback last week sees Empoli keen to take maximum points from Serie A strugglers Spezia when the teams meet on Saturday.
Ahead of their clash at Stadio Carlo Castellani, the visitors are unbeaten in all three previous top-flight games against their hosts, following a 1-0 win in La Spezia on the opening day.
Match preview
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Empoli travelled to the capital last week, still undefeated since the winter break, and ahead of what transpired to be a 2-0 loss to Roma they were one of Italy's most in-form sides.
Three wins and as many draws from their previous six games had helped the Azzurri into the safety of mid-table, and in spite of their reverse in Rome they still occupy 12th spot - level on points with 11th-placed Monza and fallen giants Juventus.
Recent results have eased relegation fears for the months ahead, with the distance between the Tuscan side and the bottom three now standing at some 12 points.
Paolo Zanetti's men are also unbeaten in their last four Serie A home matches - winning three times in the process - so will now expect to bounce back from an increasingly rare loss and end their success-free streak against Spezia.
In three Serie A encounters between the clubs, Empoli are not only yet to win, but none of their players have even scored at the right end: after a 1-1 draw featuring two own goals in December 2021, Saturday's visitors have kept clean sheets in both subsequent meetings.
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One of just four league victories so far this season, Spezia ran out 1-0 winners against Empoli in August's reverse fixture, but such a bright start to the season has since given way to the grim reality of a survival struggle.
Following a 3-0 home defeat to league leaders Napoli last time out, Luca Gotti's side have failed to score in any of their last three top-flight matches - the club's worst streak since reaching Serie A for the first time back in 2020.
Indeed, the last time the Ligurians went without netting for four straight league games was as long ago as 2017, down in Serie B, and they will be keen to avoid replicating that run by ending their drought this weekend.
An over-reliance on top scorer M'Bala Nzola - who is not expected to return from a calf injury until later this month - lies at the heart of their ills up front, and with 17th-placed Verona improving, Spezia sit outside the drop zone by an ever more slender margin - now just four points.
Only Sampdoria have fired blanks in more Serie A matches this term, and after suffering eight away defeats already, perhaps the best they can hope for on Saturday is a first away draw for 13 games - their last came in April 2022, at the Castellani.
Team News
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Despite failing to score in his last four games, Francesco Caputo should continue to start up front for Empoli, holding off the claims of recent loan signing Roberto Piccoli. If Caputo finds the net on Saturday, he would equal Antonio Di Natale as the club's fifth-top scorer in Serie A on 18 goals.
Paolo Zanetti's plans up front will not include injured striker Mattia Destro, who is joined on the sidelines by Ardian Ismajli and Alberto Grassi.
Behind a likely forward duo also featuring Martin Satriano, the hosts should turn to young star Tommaso Baldanzi, while midfield pair Liam Henderson and Marko Pjaca are among those pushing for promotion to the first XI after appearing as substitutes last week.
Spezia, meanwhile, take the trip to Tuscany burdened by a lengthy absence list: though captain Emmanuel Gyasi returns from suspension, both Ethan Ampadu and Mattia Caldara must now serve bans for accumulated bookings, so Luca Gotti has to reshuffle his back three.
Nine-goal striker M'Bala Nzola is ruled out by injury, and in their three league matches without him this term, Spezia have lost each time without scoring - the Angola international has the highest percentage of any team's goals in Serie A so far (53%).
January signing Szymon Zurkowski - a former Empoli loanee - is also unavailable, and with Viktor Kovalenko and Albin Ekdal short of fitness too, the visitors could be a little light in midfield.
Even Gotti has undergone a hip operation and cannot tread the touchline, but he can at least turn to new arrivals Eldor Shomurodov, Salvatore Esposito and Przemyslaw Wisniewski to fill some gaps on his teamsheet.
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Ebuehi, De Winter, Luperto, Parisi; Bandinelli, Marin, Akpa-Akpro; Baldanzi; Satriano, Caputo
Spezia possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Amian, Wisniewski, Nikolaou; Holm, Esposito, Bourabia, Agudelo, Reca; Gyasi, Shomurodov
We say: Empoli 2-1 Spezia
Empoli and Spezia have faced the most shots per game on average in Serie A this season (both over 16), so it could be an open affair at the Castellani. The hosts, though, are in far better form, and home advantage makes them likely winners against absence-hit opponents.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
