Empoli vs Roma: Serie A Preview & Potential Line-ups

Stadio Carlo Castellani forms the backdrop for a curtain-dropping Serie A matchday-six encounter between bottom-half Empoli and top-four bidding Roma. 

It's been a thoroughly underwhelming start to the new top-flight season for the home side. 

Since a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Spezia on the opening weekend, Paolo Zanetti's men have drawn four successive league matches and could make it five stalemates in a row for the first time since 2015.

Empoli held Salernitana to a topsy-turvy 2-2 draw last time out, netting as many goals at the Stadio Arechi as they had in their first four Serie A outings. 

Visiting Roma are not having better times. After a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Udinese last weekend, the Giallorossi slumped to a 2-1 loss at Ludogorets in midweek Europa League action.

Keen to get back to winning ways and reinforce their top-four bid, Jose Mourinho's lads head to Tuscany, where they have thrived in recent history.

Without further ado, let's skip to our preview.

Match Preview

Empoli

Tmost noteworthy takeaway from Empoli's recent Serie A fixtures is their inability to hold onto a lead. Despite breaking the deadlock in their last three league games, they ended up drawing on each occasion. 

After failing to get on the scoresheet in four of their last six league meetings with Roma, Gli Azzurri are looking like a doomed outfit even before the kick-off.

On the bright side, Empoli are the only Serie A outfit this season to boast at least three goal scorers born after 2000!

Roma

Before collapsing at the Dacia Arena last time out, Roma had racked up three triumhps from their first four Serie A matches (D1), all of which came 'to nil.' 

Coming into this showdown as pre-match favourites, the Giallorossi have won their last six consecutive league games against Empoli and are unbeaten in 12 overall (W9, D3). 

Yet Mourinho's men are winless in their last three competitive away fixtures (D1, L2), suggesting their imperious H2H run could be in jeopardy. 

Empoli vs Roma Potential Line-ups

Empoli (4-3-1-2): Guglielmo Vicario; Petar Stojanovic, Ardian Ismajli, Sebastiano Luperto, Fabiano Parisi; Nicolas Haas, Marin, Tommaso Baldanzi; Nedim Bajrami; Martin Satriano, Sam Lammers.

Roma (3-4-2-1): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez; Rick Karsdorp, Mady Camara, Nemanja Matic, Leonardo Spinazzola; Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini; Tammy Abraham.