Serie A Preview: Milan vs Empoli – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

After another landslide victory in the UEFA Champions League, Milan will return to their Serie A commitments on Saturday. Perennial strugglers Empoli land at Stadio San Siro for the late afternoon kick-off, seeking a fourth consecutive unbeaten league game.

Despite commencing their European journey with back-to-back defeats to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, Milan are firmly in contention for automatic knockout qualification. Paulo Fonseca’s side posted a third successive 3-1 Champions League win on Tuesday, making light work of debutants Slovan Bratislava.

Translating continental resurgence to the domestic front has been elusive for Milan. Following a stomach-wrenching 3-3 draw at Cagliari just before the international break, the Rossoneri shared the spoils with Juventus in a drab 0-0 stalemate at San Siro. One of the most uneventful contests of the 2024/25 Serie A season left Milan outside the European spots.

Heading into Matchday 14, they trail sixth-placed Juventus by six points, while ten separate them from table-topping Napoli. Therefore, Fonseca’s men have no margin for error as they entertain bottom-half Empoli in their home setting, even though they have a game in hand over other teams.

Roberto D’Aversa’s charges squandered a halftime lead in a 1-1 home draw against Udinese on Monday. It was their third straight league outing without losing (W1, D2), as they’ve climbed to tenth in the Serie A standings, only three points adrift of their hosts.

Match Preview

Milan

Milan’s domestic form wobble has seen them secure just one win across their last four league matches (D2, L1). That run includes back-to-back scoring blanks at San Siro against Napoli (0-2) and Juventus (0-0), putting them at risk of going three consecutive top-flight home games without finding the net for the first time since 2017.

Empoli’s arrival can inspire confidence around the Milan camp. Indeed, the hosts have been dominant in this fixture, emerging victorious from three of their last four Serie A encounters at this venue (D1). With each victory coming ‘to nil,’ chances are the Rossoneri could avoid conceding in two league games on the trot for only the second time this season.

However, the victory, albeit likely, won’t be plain sailing. Milan’s last two home league wins against the Tuscan minnows have yielded a narrow 1-0 scoreline, sandwiching a disappointing scoreless draw in April 2023. Against this backdrop, Fonseca’s lads have been ruthless against lower-ranked opposition at home this term.

They’ve thrashed Lecce and Venezia by an aggregate score of 7-0, with all seven goals arriving before halftime.

Empoli

Fending off Milan’s free-flowing attack in the opening 45 minutes could be crucial to Empoli’s hopes of upsetting the apple cart on Saturday. That could prove easier said than done, especially considering D’Aversa’s men head into proceedings winless in their last three away league games (D2, L1) despite scoring a first-half opener on each occasion.

Terminally unable to score multiple times per game, the visitors have only smashed a two-goal barrier in a single Serie A outing twice in the opening 13 rounds. Therefore, it’s hardly surprising they lament the division’s second-worst scoring record, with only Lecce (6) netting fewer goals than Empoli’s 10.

Regardless of such issues, they’re decent value to penetrate Milan’s porous backline after getting on the scoresheet across their last eight Serie A travels. More importantly, all those eight matches saw Empoli find the back of the net before halftime, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start.

Team News

In addition to long-term absentees Alessandro Florenzi and Ismael Bennacer, Milan will be without second-string striker Luka Jovic. Alvaro Morata returns to the fold after serving a one-game European ban against Slovan, meaning Tammy Abraham will likely drop to the bench despite scoring in Bratislava.

As for Empoli, Swiss midfielder Nicolas Haas has joined Szymon Zurkowski, Tyronne Ebuehi, Saba Sazonov, and Jacopo Fazzini on the sidelines. D’Aversa will turn to homegrown Milan stars to help him navigate this challenging task, with Lorenzo Colombo and Devis Vasquez returning to San Siro as foes.

Milan vs Empoli Potential Starting Line-up

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Emerson, Thiaw, Gabbia, Hernandez; Fofana, Reijnders; Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Leao; Morata.

Empoli (3-5-2): Vasquez; Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Anjorin, Henderson, Maleh, Pezzella; Colombo, Pellegri.

Milan vs Empoli Prediction