Both waiting to confirm their Serie A status for another year, Empoli and Salernitana meet on Monday at Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Locked together on 35 points in the standings, the two sides have had their ups and downs this season, but victory for either would all but assure safety.
Match preview
© Reuters
After three games without either a win or a goal were followed by a 2-1 defeat to 10-man Sassuolo last week, Empoli finally stopped the rot on Wednesday, when they seized the lead in the very first minute of a 3-1 home win over Bologna.
Having been gifted an early advantage by a calamitous own goal, further strikes from Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro and Nicolo Cambiaghi secured three precious points at Stadio Castellani; pulling the Azzurri away from relegation danger.
Such has been Empoli's inconsistency this season - their first under coach Paolo Zanetti - they will now aim to win back-to-back matches in Serie A for the first time since last January.
Doing so would further ease the pressure on the Tuscan club heading into their final four fixtures, as not only would they move onto 38 points but they would also pull three clear of their visitors, Salernitana.
The teams played out a 2-2 draw down in Salerno as the spoils were shared in September's reverse fixture, and Empoli have yet to defeat their Campanian counterparts in a top-flight home fixture.
In addition, Zanetti has never won in five league games as a manager against the Granata, so victory on Monday evening would break new ground in both regards.
© Reuters
Ahead of their trip to Tuscany, Salernitana have enjoyed an eventful week, as the influence of having Paulo Sousa in the dugout continues to make its mark.
The former Fiorentina coach oversaw his current club's helter-skelter 3-3 draw with the Viola in midweek, when in-form striker Boulaye Dia scored three times at Stadio Arechi only to see each goal equalised.
That followed Dia's late strike to spoil Napoli's title party last Sunday, when Salernitana left Naples with a point and delayed their local rivals' Scudetto celebrations.
While wins have been scarce, the Granata's unbeaten run now stands at a remarkable 10 matches - eight of which have been drawn - meaning they should avoid the nail-biting conclusion they endured 12 months ago.
The Campanian club only survived on the final day last year, after a remarkable recovery under Sousa's predecessor Davide Nicola, but beating Empoli on Monday would allow them to relax a little with four games left to play.
Team News
© Reuters
Only on-loan defender Koni De Winter is unavailable to Paolo Zanetti this week, following a knee injury last month which ruled the Juventus prospect out for the rest of the season.
Though they therefore have an almost full squad to choose from, Empoli are unlikely to make many changes to a winning side, with Filippo Bandinelli the top candidate to come into their midfield and Ardian Ismajli in contention for a return to the back four.
Up front, 22-year-old Nicolo Cambiaghi has scored in his last two games and is the youngest Italian with at least five goals in Serie A this season; four of his five have come in 2023.
Meanwhile, Salernitana's main attacking outlet is undoubtedly Boulaye Dia, whose midweek hat-trick boosted his tally to 15 league goals this term. Only one player in their first Serie A season has scored more for a promoted side this century: Sassuolo's Domenico Berardi (16 in 2013-14).
In addition to the suspended Domagoj Bradaric, both Federico Fazio and Domen Crnigoj are expected to miss out on Monday, while regular starters Norbert Gyomber and Antonio Candreva are struggling with muscular problems.
As a result, Paulo Sousa is set to shift either Pasquale Mazzocchi or Junior Sambia across to the left to deputise for Bradaric, with William Troost-Ekong poised to replace Gyomber in the Granata's back three.
Empoli possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Ebuehi, Ismajli, Luperto, Parisi; Marin, Bandinelli, Akpa Akpro; Baldanzi; Caputo, Cambiaghi
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Daniliuc, Troost-Ekong, Pirola; Mazzocchi, Coulibaly, Vilhena, Sambia; Kastanos, Dia; Piatek
We say: Empoli 2-2 Salernitana
While Salernitana are certainly tough to beat under Paulo Sousa, they have not travelled too well this season - winning only twice on the road. Both sides seem to have found some fluency in the final third, so another score draw between them could be on the cards.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
