Serie A leaders Inter Milan will host Empoli at San Siro on Monday night, looking to extend their lead at the top of the table.
Inter Milan are in phenomenal form right now, and they have picked up five wins and a draw from the last six league games ahead of the visit of Empoli. They are 11 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand. And a win here would put further daylight between themselves and rivals AC Milan, who are in second place.
Meanwhile, Empoli are 17th in the league table, and they will not want to be dragged into the relegation battle. The visitors have lost their last three league games, and they cannot afford to keep faltering at this stage of the season.
Empoli will need to pick up important points right now if they want to preserve their status as a top-flight club next season. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Inter Milan
Stefan De Vrij misses out with a muscle problem, while Marko Arnautovic is sidelined with a hamstring injury and Juan Cuadrado has an Achilles tendon problem. Inter Milan will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Emil Audero in goal.
In the back three, Benjamin Pavard will start alongside Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni. Matteo Darmian and Federico Dimarco will be deployed as the wing-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
Nicolo Barella will start in central midfield alongside Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The three players will look to add creativity and control to the side. Finally, Marcus Thuram will lead the line for Inter Milan alongside Lautaro Martinez.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Audero; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Empoli
Youssef Maleh will miss out for the away side after an accumulation of yellow cards. Tyronne Ebuehi is ruled out for the season with ACL damage, while Alberto Grassi will miss out with a muscle injury.
Empoli will shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Elia Caprile in goal. In the back three, Bartosz Bereszynski will start alongside Sebastian Walukiewicz and Sebastiano Luperto. Emmanuel Gyasi and Giuseppe Pezzella will start as the wing-backs here. They will look to protect the defensive unit and help out during counter-attacking opportunities.
Razvan Marin and Jacopo Fazzini will start as the central midfielders, and they will look to add physicality and defensive cover to the side. Nicolo Cambiaghi and Szymon Zurkowski will start as the attacking midfielders and they will look to link up in the final third and create goalscoring opportunities on the break. Finally, M’Baye Niang will lead the line for the visitors.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Caprile; Bereszynski, Walukiewicz, Luperto; Pezzella, Cambiaghi, Zurkowski, Gyasi; Fazzini, Marin; Niang
Key Stats
- Inter have won 17 of their last 20 matches against Empoli in all competitions.
- Inter are undefeated in their last 23 matches in the Serie A.
- Empoli have failed to score in their last three matches in Serie A.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between the two teams.
- Inter have kept a clean sheet in the last two matches against Empoli.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
The 26-year-old Argentine international striker is in formidable form right now, and he will look to make a big difference in the final third with his goalscoring ability and creativity. Martinez will look to get on the scoresheet and create opportunities for his teammates as well. He has 23 goals in 26 league appearances this season and is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
Inter Milan 3-0 Empoli
The visitors are in dreadful form right now, and they are on a losing streak. Empoli are up against the best team in the country, and Inter Milan are full of confidence and momentum right now. The Nerazzurri should be able to pick up a comprehensive victory in front of their own fans, and they will pile further misery on Empoli come Monday night.