Overview
After two consecutive draws against Cagliari and Juventus, AC Milan found the joy of victory again when defeating Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League in midweek.
However, it was not a convincing victory for coach Paulo Fonseca's team. They let Slovan Bratislava score 2 goals, equal to what the Slovakian team did in the previous 4 matches in the Champions League this season.
Milan are currently on a five-match unbeaten run in all competitions and the Rossoneri are clearly not looking to let that stop them. Milan are currently seventh in Serie A with 19 points, six points behind sixth-placed Juventus.
As for Empoli, they are also on a 3-match unbeaten streak in Serie A, bringing home a total of 5 points to maintain their position in the middle of the rankings. After 13 matches, Empoli has proven to be a good defensive team when they have only conceded 11 goals.
However, their attack has not shown the same efficiency, scoring only 10 goals, the third worst performance in the tournament. This is also the main reason why Empoli has not been able to break away from the group to participate in the European Cup next season.
AC Milan are unbeaten in their last eight matches against Empoli, winning six of them. The last time the Rossoneri lost to Empoli was in April 2017.
With home field advantage and a better squad, Milan is likely to win all 3 points in this match.
Human resources situation
Rafael Leao came off the bench to score for Milan in the Champions League. The Portuguese forward could start against Empoli.
Meanwhile, Tammy Abraham will also feature in attack for the hosts after scoring against Slovan Bratislava. In defence, Mattia Gabbia is expected to return to the starting line-up.
On the other side of the front line, Empoli are without Alberto Grassi and Jacopo Fazzini, who are both out through injury. Pellegri will continue to lead the attack with Liberato Cacace and Lorenzo Colombo.
Expected lineup:
AC Milan: Maignan, Royal, Gabbia, Thiaw, Hernandez, Fofana, Musah, Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao, Abraham.
Empoli: Vazquez, Viti, Ismajli, Goglichidze, Pezzella, Maleh, Henderson, Gyasi, Cacace, Colombo, Pellegri.
The match between AC Milan and Empoli takes place at 0:00 on the morning of December 1 (Vietnam time).
