Sassuolo vs Empoli

As a fierce battle for survival in Serie A heats up, Sassuolo and Empoli go head-to-head in a relegation six-pointer at Mapei Stadium.

Sassuolo manager Alessio Dionisi couldn’t have imagined a worse way to mark his 100th Serie A game in charge than being humbled 3-0 by Atalanta last weekend. That result marked Sassuolo’s 14th league defeat of 2023/24, with only rock-bottom Salernitana suffering more (16). Then, it’s merely a surprise ‘I Neroverdi’ head into proceedings flirting with the drop zone, with only goal difference separating them from 18th-placed Hellas Verona. Mapei Stadium was supposed to be Sassuolo’s safe haven, yet they’ve picked up just one win in their last eight league outings on their home ground (D3, L4). In contrast to their tag as Serie A entertainers, Sassuolo scored under 1.5 goals in seven of those eight matches, casting further doubt on completing their first top-flight double against Empoli since 2016/17.

The visitors still remember a frustrating 4-3 defeat in the reverse fixture and would be glad to return the favor after hitting the ground running under new manager Davide Nicola. The ex-Salernitana coach became the first-ever Empoli manager to go unbeaten in his first five Serie A games in charge (W2, D3) with a 1-1 draw against European hopefuls Fiorentina last weekend, reinforcing Gli Azzurri’s hopes of avoiding relegation. Commencing this matchday two points clear of drop territory, Empoli will fancy their chances at Mapei Stadium despite losing five of their six previous Serie A outings on this ground (W1). Adding to their confidence, only one of their last four league travels has ended in a loss (W1, D2), even though they failed to score more than once on three occasions.