Serie A

Hellas Verona vs Empoli to start again

Both Verona and Empoli, aiming to get back on track after defeats last week, are eager for points in the race for survival

Hellas Verona are set to host Empoli at the Bentegodi at 15:00 CET. The home side, who are still without a draw in the league this season, want to put their defeat to Cagliari, which came after losses to Fiorentina and Inter, behind them. The Gialloblu’s aim is to close the gap to the Tuscan side, who are four points ahead of their next opponents and looking to bounce back from their defeat to AC Milan, which put an end to a three-match unbeaten streak.

HEAD TO HEAD

Hellas Verona have remained unbeaten in each of their last six Serie A matches against Empoli (W3 D3), winning the most recent two; only against Venezia (7 in a row) do they have a longer ongoing unbeaten streak in the competition. Empoli have won only one of their seven away Serie A games against Hellas Verona (D1 L5), winning 1-0 in December 2015, thanks to an Andrea Costa goal. Empoli are the team that Hellas Verona have faced the most times in Serie A without ever conceding more than one goal in a single match. In 14 previous matches, they have kept four clean sheets and conceded exactly one goal on 10 occasions.

DID YOU KNOW

Hellas Verona are the first team to lose 10 of their first 14 games in a Serie A season without sitting in the relegation zone since the league returned to 20 teams in 2004/05. Empoli are one of two teams yet to find the back of the net in the last 15 minutes of play this season in the big five European leagues (also Freiburg); in the same period Hellas Verona have scored five goals, more than any other team currently in the bottom five positions of the Serie A table. 24% of Hellas Verona's goals in Serie A this season have been scored from outside the box (4/17). Overall, in 2024 only Atalanta (16) have scored more goals from distance than the Gialloblù (13) in the top-flight.

PLAYERS

No defender has created more chances following a carry of 5+ metres than Jackson Tchatchoua in this Serie A season (10). The Hellas Verona man has been involved in two league goals this season (one goal and one assist), as many as across the whole of last season. Lorenzo Colombo scored the only top-flight brace of his career against Hellas Verona in November 2023 at the Bentegodi. 82% (9/11) of his overall Serie A goals have come away from home and among players with at least 10 goals in the competition, only Joshua Zirkzee (85%), Andrea Ranocchia (83%) and Stefano Eranio (83%) have recorded a higher proportion of goals on the road.

DISCIPLINE

Suspended: Coppola (Hellas Verona) Cautioned: Belahyane e Zanetti (Hellas Verona); Henderson e Cacace (Empoli)

REFEREE

DI BELLO (SCATRAGLI – MORO) IV: COSSO, VAR: MARINI, AVAR: PAGANESSI

UPCOMING MATCHES IN SERIE A

Parma-Hellas Verona (Sunday 15 December, 15.00 CET) Empoli-Torino (Friday 13 December, 20:45 CET) (Photo Getty Images)