Roma-Empoli is a match of the fourth day of Serie A and is played on Sunday at 20:45: lineups, predictions, TV and streaming.
It’s a strange effect to see Roma in third-last place in the standings. We are just in the third round of the league but no one, a month ago, imagined that the Giallorossi would find themselves so far from the areas that count and with only one point in their pockets.
That there was something wrong had already been told by the opening match with Salernitana, who almost came back from the Olimpico with a win after overturning Jose Mourinho’s team and cashing in on Belotti’s equalizing goal with a handful of minutes left before the final whistle. Then Roma cashed in on two defeats in a row: the first, frankly less justifiable, at home to Verona (2-1), the second instead in front of its own public against Milan, lost by the same score despite the fact that the Rossoneri had been down to ten men from the start of the second half due to Tomori’s expulsion. But what continues to be lacking is the game: the Giallorossi, with a half-service Dybala – the Argentine was absent against Milan – lack a “light” that is able to illuminate in the dark moments of the match. This is also a less solid Roma than last year: the defense has never conceded less than two goals and so many have depended on individual mistakes.
Fans are relying on the “shock” Lukaku: the Belgian center forward played only a few minutes with Milan but in the national team scored a brace against Estonia.
Baldanzi
It will be up to him and Dybala to “wake up” the Capitoline attack against an Empoli team that curiously lies at the bottom of the standings and is the only team still with zero points (and goals). The start of the Tuscans, beaten by Verona, Monza and Juventus, is worrying: the defeats become four if we also add the one accrued in the Coppa Italia against Cittadella.
Roma-Empoli: the latest lineup news
There was no good news for Mourinho during the week, as three players returning from retreats with their respective national teams returned with injuries. Smalling will be missing in defense along with Mancini. Chance for former Eintracht Frankfurt N’Dicka, in his first start. In the middle there will be no captain Pellegrini, who will be replaced by Bove, while on the two flanks Kristensen and Zalewski are likely to act, favored over Spinazzola and Celik.
Paolo Zanetti, Empoli’s coach, could change something on the outside lanes, where former Napoli player Bereszynski and Pezzella will undermine Ebuehi and Cacace. Up front, Caputo and Cambiaghi.
The prediction
Roma have won all seven of their last clashes with Empoli and in our opinion against the Azzurri they will unblock and bring home their first win of the season. An absolute must-win match for the Giallorossi, already lagging behind their direct competitors. We also expect a convincing performance in non-possession of the ball, against a team that unlike last year is struggling to score goals.
The probable lineups of Roma-Empoli
- ROMA (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; N’Dicka, Mancini, Llorente; Kristensen, Bove, Cristante, Aouar, Zalewski; Lukaku, Dybala.
- EMPOLI (4-3-1-2): Berisha; Bereszynski, Walukiewicz, Luperto, Pezzella; Fazzini, Marin, Bastoni; Baldanzi; Caputo, Cambiaghi.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-0
