Preview: Empoli vs. Torino - prediction, team news, lineups

The Tuscans shocked Inter at San Siro on Monday night and now tackle a team sitting just one point and one place above them in the Serie A standings.

Match preview

Taking full advantage of their hosts' shortage of numbers, Empoli earned three improbable points in Milan last time out, as Tommaso Baldanzi's second-half strike penalised Inter for going down to 10 men when Milan Skriniar saw red just before the break.

Having lost 13 of their previous 14 league games against the Nerazzurri away from home, such a win not only lifted Paolo Zanetti's side above crisis-stricken Juventus and into the top half of the table, but also continued some impressive form in 2023.

Still undefeated since returning from the winter break, Empoli have now won their last two Serie A games while stopping their opponents from scoring - on Saturday, they aim for three straight top-flight wins without conceding for the first time since 2015.

Indeed, Zanetti's men have won each of their last three home games while shutting out their visitors too, thereby equalling the club's best such run for nearly 16 years.

Recent results have certainly eased any relegation concerns - only all-conquering Napoli have beaten Empoli in their last six matches - and precedent is also on their side when Torino come to town this weekend: the Azzurri have lost just one of 10 Serie A home meetings with their counterparts from Turin.

However, Torino's sole win during that streak did come in the teams' most recent encounter at the Castellani - a 3-1 victory for the Granata last May - and Saturday's visitors are actually unbeaten in six of their last seven against Empoli in Serie A.

They also occupy a spot inside the top half of the standings following their own history-making success last weekend, after an Aleksei Miranchuk goal gave Torino their first win away to Fiorentina since 1976.

Toro - who knocked Milan out of the Coppa Italia earlier this month and will meet Fiorentina again in the quarter-finals - had been brittle defensively when outside of Turin, but keeping a first away shut-out after nine consecutive games of conceding further boosts confidence in the camp.

In Tuscany, then, ever-demanding coach Ivan Juric will expect his side to keep successive Serie A clean sheets for the first time since last April.

That would provide the platform for a victory that keeps Serie A's top seven in sight and ensures they cannot be overtaken by city rivals Juventus, whose recent points deduction has dropped them down into mid-table.

Empoli Serie A form:

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Torino Serie A form:

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Torino form (all competitions):

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Team News

Following their bookings on Monday night, both Fabiano Parisi and Liam Henderson must serve suspensions this weekend; opening up two slots in Empoli's starting XI.

New Zealand international Liberato Cacace is expected to replace Parisi at left-back, while Razvan Marin - just back from a ban himself - is the prime contender to join Filippo Bandinelli in central midfield.

Further forward, breakthrough star Tommaso Baldanzi - who netted the decisive goal at San Siro - has become just the second player in Empoli's history to have scored four Serie A goals for the club before turning 20. He is set to support veteran striker Francesco Caputo up front, with fellow forward Mattia Destro among those missing through injury.

Torino may still be without injured quartet Sasa Lukic, Perr Schuurs, Ola Aina and Pietro Pellegri, with Valentino Lazaro certainly ruled out.

In Lukic's absence, Samuele Ricci should start upon his return to Tuscany - the 21-year-old made his first 21 Serie A appearances for Empoli; scoring his only top-flight goal so far for Saturday's hosts.

Ivan Juric gave Toro's Coppa Italia hero Michel Adopo his first league start last week, and the winning goalscorer against Milan may be retained alongside Ricci in midfield. Meanwhile, Antonio Sanabria and Demba Seck battle it out to feature up front.

Empoli possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Ebuehi, De Winter, Luperto, Cacace; Bandinelli, Marin, Akpa Akpro; Baldanzi; Satriano, Caputo

Torino possible starting lineup:

Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Singo, Ricci, Adopo, Vojvoda; Miranchuk, Vlasic; Sanabria

We say: Empoli 1-1 Torino

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