Empoli coach Maurizio Sarri spoke to the press on Sunday, ahead of their match against Udinese, and emphasized the need for his team to bounce back.
Empoli will host Udinese in Serie A Monday action and on the back of their Coppa Italia elimination to Roma.
Sarri spoke about looking for a reaction from his team, but was quietly confident against an Udinese side which, although it can be unpredictable, will also likely rotate for Monday’s clash.
“We have to approach the game with the anger of having been eliminated [in the Coppa Italia] and with desire to win,” Sarri said in his pre-match press conference.
“Udinese are a team with many quality players who could even play at a higher level, such as [Antonio] Di Natale who could play for big clubs in Italy as well as in Europe.
“Udinese also come from playing 120 minutes in the Coppa Italia and so we likely won’t meet a lot of those players on Monday night.
“They [Udinese] remain a dangerous team however but our desire to win can see us through as we look to align our good performances more concretely with the number of points we can gain per game.
“I have mostly decided on who will play on Monday, with the exception of some doubts I still have about the trequartista – playmaker – and the two strikers.”
Empoli are 16th in Serie A, only a point above the relegations zone. Sarri’s men only have one loss in their last five Serie A games, but count four draws in that series.
