Empoli vs Roma

Stadio Carlo Castellani sets the stage for a high-stakes Serie A season finale between relegation-battling Empoli and Champions League hopefuls Roma. 

Conceding a heartbreaking 104th-minute equalizer in a dramatic 1-1 home draw against Udinese last weekend left Empoli’s hopes of securing Serie A survival up in the air going into the final round. Affirmed wartime manager Davide Nicola knows that avenging Empoli’s humiliating 7-0 defeat in September’s reverse fixture would guarantee another season at the top table, with fellow relegation rivals Udinese and Frosinone going head-to-head elsewhere. However, the hosts’ form down the final stretch can’t inspire much confidence as they’re winless in their last four league matches (D2, L2). Roma’s upcoming visit could add to Empoli’s misery. ‘Gli Azzurri’ have only avoided defeat twice in the last seven top-flight H2H meetings in Tuscany (D2, L5). Against this backdrop, they had won two consecutive league outings at the Castellani before a scoreless draw against Frosinone last time out.

Meanwhile, Atalanta’s stunning Europa League triumph threw Roma’s Champions League aspirations a lifeline. Yet they need ‘La Dea’ to finish fifth and only fifth to end a five-year hiatus from Europe’s most prestigious club competition. In the meantime, they must fend off Lazio and hold onto sixth place, a feat they’d achieve by simply avoiding defeat here after beating Genoa 1-0 last weekend. Luckily, they don’t need to win to hold up their end of the bargain, knowing they’ve emerged victorious from just one of their five most recent Serie A travels (D3, L1). A 2-1 loss at Atalanta earlier this month remains Roma’s only away league defeat since mid-January (W4, D3), hence the optimism around Daniele De Rossi’s camp.