Empoli will host AC Milan on Saturday afternoon at the Stadio Carlo Castellani and they have the opportunity to overtake their opponents in the league table.
The Azzurri are still maintaining their impressive run in Serie A and they are in eighth place with 31 points after 20 matches. Marco Giampaolo’s side drew 1-1 away to Chievo in the last round but they have won four of their last six Serie A matches.
Currently in sixth place in the table, the Rossoneri are only one point ahead of the Tuscan side.
They come into this game from a 2-0 win against Fiorentina on Sunday night thanks to goals from Carlos Bacca and Kevin-Prince Boateng. It was only the club’s second league win in the last six rounds but Sinisa Mihajlovic’s job seems to be safe for now.
The Diavoli won this encounter 2-1 when the two sides faced each other in gameweek 2. Bacca and Luiz Adriano scored for the Milanese giants while former player Riccardo Saponara netted for the Azzurri.
Luiz Adriano was expected to transfer to Chinese club Jiangsu Suning but the Brazilian striker has called the move off and will likely return to Italy.
Both teams will be reliant on their centre-forwards to win the game for their respective teams. Bacca has nine goals in 20 league games for Milan while Massimo Maccarone has scored eight times in 20 matches for Empoli this season.
Giampaolo will be missing Leandro Paredes because of suspension and Levan Mchedlidze is out with a hamstring injury. Andrea Costa, Marko Livaja and Saponara are doubts for this clash and they need to pass late fitness tests.
Mihajlovic will be missing Diego Lopez with tendinitis while Rodrigo Ely, Jeremy Menez and Philippe Mexes will undergo fitness tests.
Form Guide: Empoli (W-W-W-L-W-D) AC Milan (D-D-W-L-D-W)
Empoli: Skorupski; Laurini, Barba, Tonelli, Mario Rui; Zielinski, Buchel, Croce; Krunic; Pucciarelli, Maccarone
AC Milan: Donnarumma; Abate, Alex, Romagnoli, Antonelli; Honda, Montolivo, Bertolacci, Bonaventura; Bacca, Niang
