Inter Milan vs Empoli

Stadio Giuseppe Meazza is the venue as Inter Milan and Empoli go head-to-head in an intriguing Coppa Italia last-16 tie.

Inter Milan failed to build on a last-gasp Supercoppa Italiana triumph at the expense of Juventus, drawing 0-0 at Atalanta last time out. However, ‘I Nerazzurri’ head into proceedings as overwhelming favourites to progress to the quarter-finals, having won their previous eight Serie A H2Hs, including four of the last five without conceding. Additionally, Simone Inzaghi’s men have gone unbeaten in 14 consecutive domestic fixtures since falling to a 3-1 league defeat at Lazio in mid-October (W11, D3). Since a 1-0 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League group stage, the reigning Italian champions have not lost any of their last 12 competitive home games (W9, D3 – 90 mins only), notably scoring 2+ goals on nine of those occasions.

Meanwhile, following a run of three consecutive victories in all competitions, Empoli have alternated between draws and defeats in their last four league outings (D2, L2), including a 1-1 stalemate at Venezia over the weekend. There’s been plenty of end-to-end action in Empoli’s recent matches, as each of the last six has seen both teams on the scoresheet, four of which featured over 5.5 total goals. However, the visitors’ defensive frailties have seen them keep just one clean sheet in their previous ten road trips in all competitions, conceding 2+ goals six times in the process. That said, Aurelio Andreazzoli’s men have gone undefeated in their last six competitive away games (W2, D4), breaking the deadlock in five of them.