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Round 32 fixtures in Serie A get underway over the weekend as Empoli entertain Spezia on Saturday.
The two sides are separated by just a point and a place in the league standings, with the hosts in 14th place with 33 points and Spezia in 15th place with 32 points.
Spezia secured a win in their previous outing thanks to Emmanuel Gyasi's injury-time winner. Empoli remained without a win in 2022 as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Fiorentina on Sunday.
Empoli vs Spezia Head-to-Head
The two sides have met 47 times across all competitions, with the reverse fixture in December being their first meeting in the Italian top flight. The Azzurri have 17 wins against their Liguria-based rivals, while the visitors are not far behind with 12 wins to their name.
As many as 14 games have ended in draws, with four of their last five games ending in a 1-1 scoreline. Their previous meeting at the Stadio Alberto Picco ended in a 1-1 stalemate with both sides benefitting from own goals.
Empoli form guide (Serie A): L-D-L-D-L
Spezia form guide (Serie A): W-L-W-L-L
Empoli vs Spezia Team News
Empoli
Lorenzo Tonelli joined Riccardo Marchizza and Nicolas Haas as the third player to be ruled out for the remainder of the season with a cruciate ligament rupture. Fabiano Parisi returns from a one-game suspension while Sebastiano Luperto will be suspended following his red card against Fiorentina.
Young talent Emmanuel Ekong remains sidelined with a knee injury.
Injured: Riccardo Marchizza, Emmanuel Ekong, Nicolas Haas, Lorenzo Tonelli
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Sebastiano Luperto
Spezia
Mehdi Bourabia and Leo Sena did not recover in time for Spezia's match against Venezia and their involvement in this game remains doubtful.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Leo Sena, Mehdi Bourabia
Suspended: None
Empoli vs Spezia Predicted XI
Empoli Predicted XI (4-3-3): Guglielmo Vicario (GK); Fabiano Parisi, Ardian Ismajli, Simone Romagnoli, Petar Stojanovic; Kristjan Asllani, Szymon Zurkowski, Filippo Bandinelli; Liam Henderson, Nedim Bajrami, Andrea Pinamonti
Spezia Predicted XI (4-3-3): Ivan Provedel (GK); Salva Ferrer, Dimitrios Nikolaou, Martin Eric, Kelvin Amian; Simone Bastoni, Jakub Kiwior, Giulio Maggiore; Viktor Kovalenko, Daniele Verde, Emmanuel Gyasi
$1,100 First Bet Insurance at Caesars
Empoli vs Spezia Prediction
Empoli enjoyed a great run in mid-season but have hit a slump since the turn of the year. They are without a win across all competitions since December. They have scored at least one goal in their home games since November and are expected to find the back of the net here.
The Aquilotti have lost three games in a row in their travels and might struggle here. Taking into consideration the form of both sides, a low-scoring draw seems to be the likely outcome of the game.
Prediction: Empoli 1-1 Spezia
