Meeting for the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final, Empoli and Bologna will continue their quest to reach Rome when they convene on Tuesday evening.
A chance to meet one of the Milan clubs is at stake over the course of a two-legged contest, and the first game takes place at Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Match preview
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Against all the odds, Empoli remain in contention for a first-ever Coppa Italia triumph – albeit, they are clear outsiders in the final four.
Having beaten Catanzaro in round one, then conquered Torino with a 90th-minute winner, Roberto D’Aversa‘s side celebrated two famous wins to secure an unprecedented place in the semi-finals.
First, the Azzurri defeated Tuscan rivals Fiorentina in the Derby dell’Arno: following a 2-2 draw in Florence – earned by Sebastiano Esposito‘s late leveller – they ultimately progressed on penalties.
That set up a quarter-final tie with stumbling giants Juventus, and an Empoli side featuring several reserves and young players managed to cause a major upset in Turin. Just three weeks after being beaten 4-1 there in the league, they fought out a 1-1 draw before prevailing in another penalty shootout.
However, their cup run has come at a time when they have been free-falling down the Serie A standings, as D’Aversa’s men sit inside the relegation zone following a dismal streak of 15 top-flight games without a win.
After taking 19 points from their first 15 fixtures, they were vying for a spot in the top half, but those fortunes have dramatically changed since the turn of the year.
On Saturday afternoon at Stadio Sinigaglia, they hit the woodwork twice against Como before going behind on the hour mark, but Christian Kouame then salvaged one point by powering in a close-range header.
The Fiorentina loanee still had time to blaze a gilt-edged late chance over the crossbar, before a late lunge from Jacopo Fazzini resulted in one of Empoli’s rising stars receiving a straight red card.
Now, after a pair of 1-1 draws earlier this season, the Tuscan team square off with Bologna again, aiming to push their league woes to one side and take a step towards the cup final.
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While Empoli have broken new ground by getting this far, Bologna are into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time since 1999.
Spared the first round by their participation in Europe, the Rossoblu entered this season’s edition with an emphatic 4-0 win over Monza, which teed up a tough quarter-final against Atalanta BC.
A late strike from star man Santiago Castro sealed victory in Bergamo, as Bologna’s mid-season resurgence continued – and they have barely looked back since then.
Aiming to pick up where they left off before the international break, the Serie A high-flyers visited Venezia on Saturday, following a sequence of four wins on the spin with another success at Stadio Penzo.
Two weeks after thumping Lazio 5-0 on home turf, they had to rely on Riccardo Orsolini‘s spectacular left-footed volley to secure maximum points, as the Italy winger rattled home his 11th league goal of the season.
That maintained their grip on a Champions League place, so Vincenzo Italiano‘s men can dream of returning to UEFA’s top competition next term, with only eight games left to defend a precious top-four position.
Having risen into the Italian elite last year, the Emilian club are now intent on capping their fine spell with some elusive silverware: Bologna have lifted the Coppa twice before, but most recently in 1974.
To meet either Inter Milan or AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico in May, they must first beat Empoli over the course of two legs, with the second to be played on home turf at the Dall’Ara.
Team News
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Partly contributing to their awful league form, Empoli have been missing a large tranche of players due to injury, and Scottish midfielder Liam Henderson will now join them on the sidelines through suspension.
The Azzurri’s long list of absentees includes Youssef Maleh – who scored against Juve in the quarter-finals – plus Szymon Zurkowski, Ardian Ismajli, Nicolas Haas, Saba Sazonov and Pietro Pellegri.
In better news for Roberto D’Aversa, Mattia Viti and Jacopo Fazzini returned to action at the weekend, while Tino Anjorin could also be available on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Bologna boss Vincenzo Italiano is set to be without star striker Santiago Castro, who recently celebrated his first senior Argentina call-up. Though the much-admired 20-year-old served a Serie A suspension on Saturday, he is still struggling with a bruised foot.
Thijs Dallinga should continue to deputise up front, and he will have support from the likes of Dan Ndoye, Jens Odgaard and ex-Empoli loanee Nicolo Cambiaghi. Top scorer Riccardo Orsolini – who recently reached double figures for a third consecutive season – is another contender to start.
After missing out on the trip to Venice, full-backs Lorenzo De Silvestri (illness) and Charalampos Lykogiannis (ankle) will both hope to play some part at the Castellani, most likely starting on the bench.
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Silvestri; De Sciglio, Marianucci, Viti; Gyasi, Kovalenko, Grassi, Pezzella; Esposito, Cacace; Colombo
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Ravaglia; Holm, Beukema, Lucumi, Miranda; Freuler, Moro; Orsolini, Odgaard, Ndoye; Dallinga
We say: Empoli 1-3 Bologna
Not only do Empoli possess the worst home record throughout Italy’s top flight, but Bologna have scored a league-high 25 Serie A goals in 2025.
According to their coach, the hosts are prioritising an ongoing fight for survival, so the relentless Rossoblu should secure a healthy first-leg advantage.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
