After rolling over fierce rivals AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, Inter Milan will look to retain top spot in the table when they face beleaguered Empoli in Sunday’s Serie A action.
As the 2023/24 season continues in full swing, Inter Milan will try to build on their strong start on the road against dead-last Empoli on Sunday.
After earning their promotion in the summer of 2021, Empoli have, surprisingly, maintained their Serie A status, first under Aurelio Andreazzoli and then under the management of Paolo Zanetti. They have had back-to-back 14th-place finishes.
However, the hosts’ humiliating 7-0 defeat against AS Roma off the back of a horrible start to the season cost Zanetti his job, which led the club to appoint Andreazzoli as their head coach for the fourth time.
Having suffered four defeats out of four so far this season, conceding 12 goals, and failing to find the net even once, they find themselves sitting rock-bottom in the Serie A table ahead of this weekend’s games. A visit from Inter is probably the last thing new boss Andreazzoli needs at this moment in time.
Inter Milan have been in imperious form so far this season. They are the only side with a perfect 100% record in Serie A after four matches and have set the pace since the opening weekend. They continued their perfect start in the league with a 5-1 demolition of AC Milan last weekend.
Not only did they overcome their bitter rivals, who were also unbeaten, but the ruthless nature of the victory would have served as a warning to the rest of the league. However, the visitors also struggled to rescue a late point after a largely poor performance against Real Sociedad in the Champions League earlier this week.
Team News and Tactics
Empoli
🎥💪 Friday Training pic.twitter.com/28ffMEoYqP
— Empoli Football Club Official (@EmpoliFC) September 22, 2023
Two summer signings, Elia Caprile, on loan from Napoli, and Daniel Maldini, on loan from AC Milan, remain out injured for this weekend’s visit of Inter.
Aurelio Andreazzoli might have returned to the club, but he has a tough task on his hands. Empoli’s start to the season has not been easy, with games against Juventus and a resurgent Hellas Verona before the AS Roma debacle. But they have not looked like scoring a goal so far and need something to change very quickly.
Andreazzoli may shuffle his pack following their nightmarish visit to Rome last week as he looks to impose his authority on an underconfident squad. He could revert to a 4-3-1-2 this weekend and could hand Filippo Ranocchia a start in midfield. Etrit Berisha should start in goal behind the back four of Bartosz Bereszynski, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Sebastiano Luperto, and Giuseppe Pezzella.
Jacopo Fazzini, Razvan Marin, and Bastoni should start as the midfield trio, aiming to quell Inter’s numerical advantage in the middle of the park. Tommaso Baldanzi is likely to be deployed in an attacking role, primarily as the playmaker behind strikers Francesco Caputo and Nicolo Cambiaghi, who will be desperate to open the club’s goal account for the season.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Berisha; Bereszynski, Walukiewicz, Luperto, Pezzella; Fazzini, Marin, Ranocchia; Baldanzi; Caputo, Cambiaghi
Inter Milan
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi has no new injury concerns. And with Stefano Sensi and Juan Cuadrado the visitors’ likely absentees, both could return to the fold in next Wednesday’s game against Sassuolo. Inzaghi will need to get his squad rotations right ahead of a highly-congested schedule in the upcoming weeks. He will likely recall a number of familiar faces at Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Marko Arnautovic and Kristjan Asllani failed to make a mark on their first starts of the season in midweek and could both be dropped here, with Asllani dropping out in favour of injury returnee Hakan Calhanoglu, who will sit in front of the backline, with Nicolo Barella and Davide Frattesi on either side of the Turk.
Commentate con un 😁 per Denzel 👇#ForzaInter pic.twitter.com/HkiEOowwdy
— Inter (@Inter) September 22, 2023
Inter have also been solid at the back, and with Empoli struggling for goals lately, they will be targeting a shutout. Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni have impressed at the back and can continue in the visitors’ back three alongside Benjamin Pavard, who made his club debut in San Sebastian.
Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram have sparked up a solid partnership in attack for Inter Milan, and both men will be worth keeping an eye on. Thuram was on target last time out, while Martinez has five Serie A goals. Both will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of adding to their respective tallies up against a leaky Empoli backline.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, A. Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Frattesi, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Key Stats
- Inter Milan have won 16 of their last 19 matches against Empoli in all competitions.
- Inter Milan have kept a clean sheet in their last nine away matches against Empoli in all competitions.
- Empoli are the only side in the Italian top-flight this season yet to score a single league goal.
- Inter Milan are the highest-scoring side in Serie A this season, with a goal tally of 13.
- The hosts have the worst defensive record in the league this season, with a goal concession tally of 12.
Player to Watch
Marcus Thuram
Thuram was one of Inter Milan’s big-name arrivals during the summer transfer window. The Nerazzurri managed to sign the Frenchman without paying a transfer fee. But the full-fledged France international arrived at the club with big expectations. And he is making some impact despite his disappointing pre-season.
The Frenchman, son of legendary defender Lillian, has made a flying start to the season in Italy with two goals and two assists from four games. After his beautiful finish to make it 2-0 to Inter in the derby, he has already shown boss Simone Inzaghi that he is irreplaceable in this team and has become a fan favourite.
Thuram is a versatile attacker who can play all across the frontline. However, for much of his career, he has played as more of a winger. But the relative success of Thuram’s positional change as a striker for Borussia Monchengladbach last season convinced Inter that he could lead the line in their front two. And Simone Inzaghi and co. were precise with their decision.
With his strength and raw speed, Thuram is playing like a storm that is smashing everything in his path, and it looks like he has the potential to just keep improving.
Prediction
Empoli 0-3 Inter Milan
This is likely to be the biggest mismatch this weekend in the entire Serie A. Empoli have had a difficult start to the season, as they are the only team without a point after four games. Inter Milan, meanwhile, have won to nil in three of their four Serie A matches. And having put five past AC Milan last time out, they could be set for a similar outcome here.
