Palermo come up against Empoli at the Stadio Renzo Barbera on Sunday afternoon with both sides aiming to stay a clear distance from Serie A’s relegation zone.
The two squads won automatic promotion from Serie B last season and they have exceeded expectations so far in this Serie A campaign. Currently the Rosanero are equal ninth with AC Milan and Torino on 33 points while the Azzurri are in 14th place on 27 points and they are seven points away from safety.
Empoli will probably be the more confident side going into this fixture for a couple of reasons. Palermo go into this match on the back of a 2-1 loss away to Lazio while the Azzurri had a comfortable 3-0 win against Chievo. Earlier this season, Empoli had a convincing 3-0 win against Palermo and it might have been more if it was not for Stefano Sorrentino’s saves.
The Rosanero had not won a game in the the first six rounds but they had bounced back after the Empoli defeat with a win against Cesena, the first of eight wins for the 2014-15 season so far.
Palermo coach Giuseppe Iachini will have midfielders Luca Rigoni and Enzo Maresca back in the squad after returning from suspension and injury respectively. Iachini is likely to ditch the 3-5-2 formation and use the 4-3-2-1 formation which brought his team success against Napoli a fortnight ago.
Empoli coach Maurizio Sarri is expected to keep the same starting line-up that defeated Chievo last week, with Riccardo Saponara operating as the trequartista as the preferred choice ahead of Simone Verdi and Francesco Tavano and Massimo Maccarone are expected to start in attack.
Azzurri captain Maccarone is in excellent form lately, scoring five goals in just four games for the Tuscan side. The 35-year-old is a key component of Sarri’s team and vital to the clubs survival hopes.
Palermo captain Edgar Barreto will not be available for this match after he received a yellow card in the loss against Lazio and Francesco Bolzoni and Achraf Lazaar are doubts for the game with muscle injuries. Empoli are at full strength and have no notable injuries or suspensions to speak of.
Form Guide: Palermo (D-D-W-L-W-L) Empoli (D-L-D-W-D-W)
Expected Starting XIs
Palermo: Sorrentino; Morganella, Gonzalez, Andelkovic, Daprela; Rigoni, Maresca, Della Rocca; Quaison, Vazquez; Dybala
Empoli: Sepe; Hysaj, Rugani, Tonelli, Mario Rui; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Tavano, Maccarone
