Two teams fighting for Serie A survival meet on Saturday evening, as 19th-placed Empoli welcome draw specialists Parma to Stadio Castellani.
While the hosts are winless in league football throughout 2025, their visitors have pulled away from acute danger and could all but confirm safety with a win.
Match preview
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Empoli's latest loss got off to the worst possible start, as they trailed within one minute of kickoff last weekend, when Lazio ultimately ran out 1-0 winners at the Castellani.
Making their task all the more difficult against opponents chasing a top-four finish, Lorenzo Colombo was then sent off for his second bookable offence, seeing yellow twice in the space of five minutes shortly before half time.
Winless in Serie A since December, the beaten Coppa Italia semi-finalists have accrued just six points since then, and they have been in freefall for several months now.
A total of 20 top-flight games without a win represents the Tuscan team's worst run ever, leaving them stuck inside the drop zone, two points shy of safety.
Yet, with just three games left to replicate last year's dramatic escape, Empoli still have fellow strugglers Parma, Monza and Hellas Verona to play - so they may fancy their chances of avoiding relegation.
A record of one win - and only seven goals scored - on home turf is the joint-worst across Europe's top five leagues this season, but that may be forgotten if the Azzurri beat both Parma and Verona over the next couple of weeks.
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Following October's 1-1 result in Tuscany, Parma have drawn four of their last six Serie A meetings with this week's hosts - and a recent series of one-point hauls has taken them close to securing their top-flight status.
The Crociati have drawn six of their last eight matches, winning just one, but that run might well be enough to get them over the finish line: they are six points clear of the relegation zone, seven above ailing Empoli.
Within a few minutes of securing another precious point last weekend, Cristian Chivu's side allowed Como to net a late winner at Stadio Tardini, so they cannot take anything for granted just yet.
Often impressive on their own patch, Parma's last away win came way back in November against Venezia; having recently drawn their last four games on the road, they will be keen to finally end that drought.
Promoted as Serie B champions this time last year, the Gialloblu now intend to rubber-stamp Serie A survival with victory on Saturday night, leaving Empoli dangling over the trapdoor.
Team News
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Burdened by a long absence list for most of 2025, Empoli boss Roberto D'Aversa - previously a promotion-winning coach at Parma - may see his woes eased somewhat this weekend.
Midfield duo Alberto Grassi and Liam Henderson return after serving one-match bans, while Tyronne Ebuehi, Viktor Kovalenko and Tino Anjorin are all hoping to recover. However, the hosts are still missing Youssef Maleh, Nicolas Haas, Saba Sazonov, Pietro Pellegri, Szymon Zurkowski and Christian Kouame due to injury.
Furthermore, Lorenzo Colombo must serve a suspension, so fit-again Sebastiano Esposito should lead Empoli's attack. Notably, only one of the latter's eight league goals this season have been scored on home turf.
Parma, meanwhile, are again without Alessandro Vogliacco, Adrian Bernabe, Valentin Mihaila, Nahuel Estevez, Yordan Osorio and Gabriel Charpentier.
Wingers Pontus Almqvist and Matteo Cancellieri - an ex-Empoli loanee - are also doubts, but Cristian Chivu has recently shifted to a wing-back system anyway.
Set to continue with his new 3-5-2 formation, Chivu should pair Mateo Pellegrino and top scorer Ange-Yoan Bonny up front.
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Vazquez; Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Henderson, Grassi, Pezzella; Fazzini, Cacace; Esposito
Parma possible starting lineup:
Suzuki; Del Prato, Leoni, Valenti; Hainaut, Ondrejka, Keita, Sohm, Valeri; Pellegrino, Bonny
We say: Empoli 0-1 Parma
Parma are conceding far fewer goals under Cristian Chivu, so they should be able to keep their misfiring hosts quiet at the Castellani.
Low in confidence - particularly across the final third - Empoli are stuck in an awful rut, and games are running out to end it.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
