Roma vs Empoli

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In Serie A this season, Roma and Empoli, who are separated by just one point, are set to clash at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening. Both teams are eager to secure their first victory in the 2023-34 campaign.

In their recent match just before the international break, Jose Mourinho's Roma squad suffered a loss to a 10-man Milan side. On the other hand, Empoli, from the Tuscan region, endured their third consecutive defeat without managing to score a goal.

Despite having a one-man advantage for half an hour after Fikayo Tomori's red card, Roma struggled to break through Empoli's defense until second-half stoppage time when Leonardo Spinazzola finally scored the hosts' only goal in a 2-1 loss.

In the previous two seasons under Jose Mourinho's management, Roma won their first two Serie A matches. However, their quest to secure a spot in the top four this season, following two consecutive sixth-place finishes, has been hampered by a slower start.

While Mourinho may have one eye on next week's Europa League opener against Sheriff Tiraspol from Moldova, his immediate priority is to improve Roma's performance in domestic competition.

Roma heavily relied on their strong home form last season, and they cannot afford to drop more points on Sunday as they currently find themselves in the bottom three of this season's Serie A standings. Much is expected from Romelu Lukaku, who was brought to Roma with the hope of turning things around, especially with Paulo Dybala dealing with injuries and Tammy Abraham facing a long-term sideline.

Notably, Roma has not lost to Empoli in Serie A since February 2007, winning their last seven meetings and scoring at least two goals each time. Empoli, in contrast, has faced 11 losses and only secured three draws since their last league victory against Roma. They've also never managed to keep a clean sheet against Roma in their away matches.

Empoli enters this weekend's match as the only Serie A team without any points or goals this season. If this trend continues, they could become one of the few teams in the history of Italy's top flight to lose their first four games without scoring, joining Mantova (1964-65) and Padova (1994-95).

Empoli's coach, Paolo Zanetti, is under pressure to improve results after his team's defeats to Verona, Monza, Juventus, and an early exit from the Coppa Italia against Serie B side Cittadella.

While Roma has struggled this season, Empoli won only two away matches in the previous season. Therefore, getting points from this match in the capital city will be challenging. It doesn't get any easier for Empoli next week when they face Inter at Stadio Castellani.

In addition to long-term absentees Tammy Abraham and Marash Kumbulla, Roma's coach, Jose Mourinho, will be without captain Lorenzo Pellegrini and possibly Gianluca Mancini and Renato Sanches for Sunday evening's match. Injuries sustained during international duty will keep Pellegrini and Mancini out of the lineup, with young Edoardo Bove and Evan Ndicka potentially stepping in.

Romelu Lukaku, set to make his full debut for Roma, has an impressive record against Empoli, having been involved in three goals in just 104 minutes played against them, his best ratio against any Serie A club. If Paulo Dybala isn't in the starting lineup, the team may turn to either Stephan El Shaarawy or Andrea Belotti to support Lukaku in the attack.

Empoli, on the other hand, has only one notable absence, with goalkeeper Elia Caprile expected to be sidelined for another month due to an ankle injury.

Empoli has struggled in the attacking third this season, with veteran striker Francesco Caputo scoring their only competitive goal in the Coppa Italia against Cittadella. Paulo Zanetti's main forward options include Mattia Destro, Matteo Cancellieri, and Emmanuel Gyasi, with Nicolo Cambiaghi likely to make way if changes are made.

To sum up, both Roma and Empoli are off to a challenging start in Serie A this season, with Empoli yet to secure a win or score a goal. Roma, despite their struggles, aims to maintain their winning record against Empoli, and the pressure is on Empoli's coach, Paolo Zanetti, to turn things around for his team.