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When Empoli hosts Lecce at Stadio Carlo Castellani on Monday, they will be looking to avoid finishing in the bottom three at the end of Serie A round 15.
The team in 17th place has only gained one point from its past two games, but their opponents have not fared any better, having won two of their last eight games.
While Empoli is in free decline, their situation has been made easier by the miserable performances of teams surrounding them, which have kept them out of the bottom three spots in the league.
Even though the Azzurri have only won three games this season, they are still in danger of dropping out because Aurelio Andreazzoli took Paolo Zanetti’s seat at the team in September.
Though Empoli has won stunning victories against Fiorentina and struggling Napoli, they have not performed at the same level against other teams, as evidenced by their shocking 2-1 loss to Frosinone and 4-3 loss to Sassuolo.
The 1-1 draw with Genoa last Saturday was encouraging because Andreazzoli’s team overcame a first-half goal by Ruslan Malinovskyi to tie the score through Matteo Cancellieri.
Even though Empoli only received a point, it was a respectable result, and they need to improve if they want to move up the standings.
With Lecce playing out two draws in 270 minutes of action, it is unclear if Andreazzoli’s team can defeat them on Monday.
Roberto D’Aversa’s team has scored goals in each of their three matches against Milan, Hellas Verona, and Bologna, but those have not been routine encounters.
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They battled back from a 2-0 deficit to draw 2-2, but a late winning goal was disallowed due to a VAR intervention. It was unfortunate that they were unable to upset Stefan Pioli’s Rossoneri before the international break in November.
The Puglia-based team might believe they deserve a victory because they haven’t added to their three wins since overcoming Genoa 1-0 in September.
After that game, Lecce had gone five games without a loss (three victories); however, their September 26 loss to Juventus had sparked an unwelcome run of ten games without a victory (nine in Serie A), a trend they are eager to break at the Castellani.
Empoli Serie A form:
W L L W L D
Lecce Serie A form:
D L L D D D
Lecce form (all competitions):
L L L D D D
Giuseppe Pezzella’s back injury puts out the defender on Monday, and Tommaso Baldanzi’s ankle ailment keeps him out of action this weekend.
Usually an unutilized replacement, Gabriele Guarino, an Italy U20 World Cup defender, has been a member of the Empoli squad; nevertheless, his injury prevents him from playing for the first team.
Regarding Lecce, Mohamed Kaba is questionable for the match on Monday, and Jeppe Corfitzen is not anticipated to play due to a shoulder ailment.
In their last three ties, the opposition has had five different goal scorers, indicating that D’Aversa team can score from wherever on the field.
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Berisha; Bereszynski, Ismajli, Luperto, Cacace; Fazzini, Ranocchia, Maleh; Cancellieri, Caputo, Cambiaghi
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Gendrey, Pongracic, Baschiroto, Dorgu; Gonzalez, Ramadani; Strefezza, Oudin, Banda; Krstovic
Our prediction 0-0 draw or 1-1 draw
