Serie A, Round 12

Empoli vs Juventus – Match preview & Live stream information

Juventus can seal back-to-back Serie A victories after last weekend’s derby triumph and the opportunity to do so lies in Sunday’s visit to Empoli

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The two teams, coming off wins in week 11, are currently in the middle of the table with Empoli at the 12th spot while Juventus is currently 10th on the league table.

Empoli escaped with a 1-0 win against reeling squad Palermo at the Stadio Renzo Barbera on Monday to add three more points for Marco Giampaolo’s side. Midfielder Riccardo Saponara scored the lone goal of the match eight minutes into the second half via a right-footed strike that moved past Palermo goalie and team captain Stefano Sorrentino off a free kick.

Meanwhile, Juventus nipped Torino, 2-1, in their previous match held at the Juventus Stadium last Saturday to recover from the team’s 0-1 loss to Sassuolo three days before. French midfielder Paul Pogba drew first blood at the 19th minute then Il Toro’s Cesare Bovo equalized it at the 51st. Juve got the last laugh courtesy of substitute winger Juan Cuadrado, who is on-loan from Chelsea, with a soft tap-in from a cross by defender Alex Sandro in injury time.

It is an up-and-down season for the current champions so far, as they failed to find a rhythm after several personnel changes. Massimiliano Allegri hopes to carry the momentum of their last win in this match against Empoli as Juventus attempts to create a winning run amidst so far an inconsistent season.

Head to Head

Stadio Carlo Castellani will host Juventus for just the tenth time in its history on Sunday and has indeed been the site of Empoli’s two solitary victories over the Bianconeri, both by a single goal in September 1987 and April 1999.

Those two triumphs aside, the Azzurri have found it tough going against Juve, losing 13 and drawing three on the other 15 occasions the two teams have crossed paths.

Statistics

Match facts

  • Empoli have collected only two points from their last 10 Serie A games against Juventus.
  • Overall, the Tuscans have won only twice in 18 previous meetings against the Old Lady in Serie A, both at home.
  • Empoli have failed to score in each of their last four league games against the Bianconeri.
  • Empoli have picked up 14 points from 11 match-days, four more than those in the same period last season under Sarri.
  • Empoli have won three of their last five league games, and the last two at home – the last time they managed to win three home games in a row in the top-flight was in February 2007.
  • Juventus have conceded goals with the first shot on target they faced on six occasions so far in this Serie A campaign, including Bovo’s goal in the derby against Torino last weekend.
  • Juventus are yet to win two games in a row in this Serie A.
  • Riccardo Saponara has contributed to 58% of Empoli’s goals, scoring four and making three assists so far this term.

Predicted line-ups

Empoli: Skorupski; Zambelli, Tonelli, Costa, Rui; Zielinski, Maiello, Maksimovic; Saponara; Pucciarelli, Livaja

Juventus: Buffon; Padoin, Barzagli, Bonucci, Evra; Khedira, Marchisio, Pogba; Hernanes; Morata, Dybala

Sunday 8 November 2015 / Stadio Carlo Castellani, Empoli/ 15:00CET

Empoli vs Juventus