Serie A | Gameweek 37

May 18, 2025 at 7:45pm UK

U-Power Stadium

Monza vs Empoli

Match preview

Relieved of pressure, Monza achieved their first win since a 2-1 victory over Fiorentina in January, breaking a 15-match winless streak in Serie A with a defeat of Udinese in their last outing.

That streak included 13 straight losses, featuring a six-game losing run where they failed to score in five matches.

Notably, Monza scored twice for only the third time this year, and they now aim to secure back-to-back Serie A wins for the first time since March 2024, when they triumphed 3-2 over Genoa and 1-0 against Cagliari.

However, their hopes are tempered by a recent record against this weekend's opponents, as they have failed to score in their last two encounters.

Optimistic fans may remember that those games were away in Tuscany, while the prior two home matches in Lombardy ended in Monza victories.

Eager to claim a third straight home win over Empoli, Alessandro Nesta's team, free from relegation worries, hopes to dent the Azzurri's survival chances.

Empoli, like Monza, snapped a long drought with a 2-1 home win over Parma, ending a 20-match run without a Serie A victory since their last win against Hellas Verona in December.

That win was Empoli's most recent away success, and Roberto D'Aversa's side aims to add to their three away victories this season, potentially their first in 2025, as they enter the final matches with relegation hopes alive.

Currently second from bottom, Empoli sit level on points with 18th-placed Lecce and one point behind 17th-placed Venezia.

With Lecce facing Torino and Venezia playing Cagliari—both ahead in the standings—a win for Empoli could lift them out of the relegation zone if their rivals stumble.

On the flip side, failure to win could widen the gap, as Empoli seeks back-to-back league wins for the first time since May 2023, when they beat Bologna 3-1 and Salernitana 2-1.

Recent Performance

Monza Serie A form: LLLLLW

Empoli Serie A form: DLDLLW

Empoli form (all competitions): LDLLLW

Team News

Monza faces several absences: Pedro Pereira is suspended, and Armando Izzo, Danilo D'Ambrosio, Dany Mota, Gianluca Caprari, Luca Caldirola, Matteo Pessina, Roberto Gagliardini, and Silvere Ganvoula are out due to injuries.

Without top scorer Dany Mota, who has five goals, the relegated hosts will depend on Keita Balde, whose late winner against Udinese marked his third goal for the league's second-lowest scoring team.

Empoli has fewer issues but will miss injured players Christian Kouame, Nicolas Haas, Pietro Pellegri, Saba Sazonov, Szymon Zurkowski, and Youssef Maleh.

Though Sebastiano Esposito hasn't scored since January, his eight goals represent 27.5% of Empoli's 29 total goals, and the away side hopes for a strong finish from him.

Possible starting lineup

Monza possible starting lineup:

Pizzignacco; Forson, Palacios, Carboni; Birindelli, Ciurria, Bianco, Akpro, Kyriakopoulos; Petagna, Caprari

Empoli possible starting lineup:

Vasquez; Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti; Gyasi, Henderson, Grassi, Pezzella; Fazzini, Cacace; Esposito