Both flying high in Serie A, unbeaten pair Torino and Empoli will meet in Turin for a Coppa Italia tie on Tuesday evening.
Something must give, as two teams yet to taste defeat in league or cup go head-to-head, following wins for both at the weekend.
Match preview
© Imago
Torino not only extended their fine start to the season on Friday evening, when they visited Hellas Verona at Stadio Bentegodi, but a 3-2 victory also put them top of the early Serie A standings.
Level at 1-1 when their hosts went down to 10 men, Toro struck twice more - through Duvan Zapata and second-half substitute Che Adams - to go two points clear of city rivals Juventus.
Only once before this century had the Granata kicked off a top-flight campaign by going five games without defeat, but Paolo Vanoli's men also achieved that modest milestone in Verona.
With 11 points already on the board, it has been a dream start for new boss Vanoli - who joined from promoted Venezia when Ivan Juric departed - and his reign got off to a fine start with first-round success in the Coppa Italia.
Zapata was again on target last month, as Torino overcame Serie B side Cosenza, and the five-time Italian cup winners are now intent on meeting Fiorentina in the last 16.
However, Vanoli could be forgiven for having one eye on his team's upcoming games against Inter Milan and Lazio, which will truly act as a barometer of their potential to challenge for Europe this season.
© Imago
Without a win in their last three league visits to Stadio Olimpico Grande, Empoli did come out on top in their most recent meeting with Torino, back home in Tuscany.
En route to pulling off a great escape from relegation, the Azzurri snatched a crucial stoppage-time goal to prevail 3-2 at Stadio Castellani, after Zapata had scored twice for the away side.
This time, they will come into Tuesday's cup contest riding high in the standings, thanks to two wins and three draws from their first five league matches.
Impressively, two of those stalemates came against Bologna and Juventus - both of whom qualified for the Champions League last season - and they also conquered Roma at Stadio Olimpico.
Last time out, Lorenzo Colombo opened the scoring against Cagliari, before Sebastiano Esposito broke his long Serie A goal-drought to seal a 2-0 away win.
Now that Empoli have gone unbeaten through their first five top-flight fixtures for the first time ever, coach Roberto D'Aversa - who finally took his place in the dugout at the weekend after completing a suspension - will believe that toppling Torino is possible.
Team News
© Imago
Paolo Vanoli may prioritise a weekend encounter with Lazio over progress in the Coppa Italia, so several personnel changes could be made on Tuesday evening.
Torino's captain and main marksman Duvan Zapata - who scored his eighth headed goal of 2024 on Saturday - might be rested, with Che Adams, Yann Karamoh and several others pushing for promotion from the bench.
The hosts will be missing Mergim Vojvoda and long-term absentee Perr Schuurs through injury, but centre-back Saul Coco could return to the lineup after sitting out Saturday's win with a muscular problem.
Meanwhile, Empoli are still without Samuele Perisan, Szymon Zurkowski, Tyronne Ebuehi and Jacopo Fazzini.
Inter Milan-owned Sebastiano Esposito and AC Milan loanee Lorenzo Colombo have combined well up front this season, but Pietro Pellegri would certainly enjoy the opportunity to impress against his parent club.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Paleari; Walukiewicz, Coco, Masina; Pedersen, Ilic, Linetty, Gineitis, Sosa; Adams, Karamoh
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Seghetti; De Sciglio, Ismajli, Viti; Sambia, Henderson, Haas, Cacace; Solbakken, Anjorin; Pellegri
We say: Torino 1-0 Empoli
Empoli will miss out on a last-16 tie with Tuscan rivals Fiorentina, as an impressive Torino side should end their unbeaten run on Tuesday.
The Granata may not be at their best if Paolo Vanoli makes a number of changes, but they have sufficient squad options to secure victory on home turf.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
