Napoli travel to Empoli on Thursday evening with the clear goal of getting all three points in order to stay in the chase for a top-three spot in Serie A. Empoli are tough to beat at home but since they are already clear of relegation they might not be too keen on winning this match. Napoli have been unable to win at Empoli since 1999. The reverse fixture this season ended 2-2, with Empoli throwing away a two-goal lead in the final 20 minutes.
Empoli are 11 points clear of the drop zone with six games remaining, so their survival in the Serie A looks secure. They have recorded two consecutive 2-2 draws in the last couple of matches, leaving them safely in 16th place. They have been tough to beat all season, they have just nine defeats so far, which is the lowest number for any team in the bottom half of the table. They have snatched quite a few draws, including five in a row at the end of 2014.
Napoli are chasing Champions League qualification on two fronts, they can achieve that by finishing in the Serie A top three and also by winning the Europa League. They are currently fourth in the league table but just two points behind third-placed Roma. Jonathan de Guzman and Michu are still injured but Christian Maggio will make his return from suspension.
Probable line-ups:
Empoli: Sepe - Laurini, Rugani, Barba, Soderlund - Vecino, Valdifori, Croce, Saponara - Maccarone, Pucciarelli
Napoli: Andujar - Maggio, Ghoulam, Albiol, Mertens - Mesto, Hamsik, David Lopez, Inler - Callejon, Higuain
My prediction: Napoli to win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Empoli win - 4.50 Draw - 3.60 Napoli win - 1.80
kruno1414 8 years ago
Napoli was not Napoli in the first half of this match , The result was 3-0 but it wasnt really the reality , Empoli had 3-4 solid chances and scored 3 goals . The fact is that Napoli is not 100%concetrated in the Serie A they should hhave their concentration on Europa League but looked what Dnipro accomplished . I must...
Napoli was not Napoli in the first half of this match , The result was 3-0 but it wasnt really the reality , Empoli had 3-4 solid chances and scored 3 goals . The fact is that Napoli is not 100%concetrated in the Serie A they should hhave their concentration on Europa League but looked what Dnipro accomplished . I must say Benitez didnt come up to expectations this year :)
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Johnajax 8 years ago
I think that this match showed us that Napoli is not concentrated on Seria A. They can't qualify for champions league through Seria A special not after this match and I think that they will focus on Europa League and try to win that competition and as all we know through Europa League go into Champions League.
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mdacic 8 years ago
I was shocked when I saw that Empoli lead 3-0 at half time against Napoli. In this moment when Empoli is safe and when they don't have a lot of motive to play and Napoli is in position where they must keep winning to grab champions league I didn't expected anything but win for Napoli. But well done Empoli, great game, and...
I was shocked when I saw that Empoli lead 3-0 at half time against Napoli. In this moment when Empoli is safe and when they don't have a lot of motive to play and Napoli is in position where they must keep winning to grab champions league I didn't expected anything but win for Napoli. But well done Empoli, great game, and Napoli must looking for new points tonight against Milan.
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sharpe 8 years ago
It was quite a surprise for the way Empoli smashed four behind Napoli's goalkeeper. Yes I'm agree that Napoli had too many tough games lately In the Europa league and in Italy so this loss is maybe not so unexpected in the end. But it was exiting and high scoring game.
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rikimartin4444_115925 8 years ago
This might have been expected given that Napoli had a series of tough games lately. They play a Europa League semi-finals and through the competition will try to reach the Champions League. In the domestic league they are behind Roma and Lazio and will remain so. Empoli has played relieved, remained in the league and now...
This might have been expected given that Napoli had a series of tough games lately. They play a Europa League semi-finals and through the competition will try to reach the Champions League. In the domestic league they are behind Roma and Lazio and will remain so. Empoli has played relieved, remained in the league and now one of them we can expect some more relaxed game with plenty of goals.
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mdacic 8 years ago
I think that Empoli don't have motive to play here, they don't need to think about relegation because they have 9 points more than teams which are in relegation zone. Napoli need this win to get closer to Roma and that place which lead to qualification for champions league. I expect a lot of goals and win for Napoli.
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timidi 8 years ago
Napoli is better team than Empoli and I think that they will attack from the start and win here. Empoli is safe from relegation and this match is more important for away team who are fighting for champions league. Napoli have 5 points less and one game less than Roma and I am sure that this race for champions league is...
Napoli is better team than Empoli and I think that they will attack from the start and win here. Empoli is safe from relegation and this match is more important for away team who are fighting for champions league. Napoli have 5 points less and one game less than Roma and I am sure that this race for champions league is not over yet...
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