Spezia – Empoli

Spezia will be close to winning the match against a revamped Empoli

Without Vincenzo Italiano, Spezia lost their former charm but managed to retain their place in Serie A. Under Thiago Motta, the team scored 36 points in 38 games. A poor finish and generally mediocre football throughout the season led to the Brazilian's resignation. Luca Gotti, who had been out of action for just over six months following his dismissal from Udinese, took over in the summer. Stability is expected above all from the new coach. "The Eagles do not have a huge transfer budget; therefore they cannot hope to make it even to the top half of the table. And in this situation, the most important thing was to keep the squad, which the club managed to do. The losses are not the biggest: either those who have finished their loan, or the ballast from the bench. The club managed to retain some previously loaned players, as well as making small point reinforcements. Spezia made an official start: the team easily beat Como 5-1 in the Italian Cup. By the way, Daniele Maldini scored the winning goal in the opening game. Empoli have had a very uneventful season. "The Azzurri got off to a phenomenal start, but suffered a major setback after the winter break. Aurelio Andreazzoli's side have only won twice since January, and then only towards the end of the league season. Former Venice coach Paolo Zanetti has now taken over the club. It was a disappointing debut: In the cup clash, the Azzurri were knocked out by SpaL after extra-time. The prospects for success this season are not the brightest. Empoli have lost a lot of quality since the summer transfer window. For example, Viti, Ricci, Aslani, Pinamonti, Cutrone, Romagnoli and others left the team. Yes, they managed to sign Destro, Lammers, Stojanovic, Kakache and also buy back some previously loaned players, but on the whole such perturbations do not bode well yet. It will take time to get used to the much-renovated squad. But does a team like Empoli have time? Zanetti's Venice played some interesting football, but they left the elite because of a lack of quality. Luca Gotti is a very meticulous coach. If he stays true to himself, Spezia will be supplied with football that is effective, counter-attacking with focus on defence. "The Eagles need to tighten up their defensive game, which limped on both feet last season. The coaches had time to battle in their former teams last season. Back then, Gotti's Udinese celebrated a confident 3-0 win over Venice. A similar win is possible now.