Napoli go with the tried and tested trident attack with adjustments in defence and midfield, facing old boy Omar El Kaddouri to break their Empoli curse.
It kicks off at the Stadio Castellani at 11.30 GMT, follow the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
The Partenopei can pile more pressure on Roma for second place ahead of the Giallorossi’s game with Sassuolo this evening.
Napoli go with the tried and tested trident attack with adjustments in defence and midfield, facing old boy Omar El Kaddouri to break their Empoli curse.
It kicks off at the Stadio Castellani at 11.30 GMT, follow the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
The Partenopei can pile more pressure on Roma for second place ahead of the Giallorossi’s game with Sassuolo this evening.
This is a return to Tuscany for Maurizio Sarri, who made his Serie A debut with Empoli and whose former assistant manager Giovanni Martusciello is now the Coach.
Napoli have remarkably never won at the Stadio Castellani, emerging with just four draws from eight attempts between Serie A and B.
Lorenzo Tonelli hasn’t made the trip to face his former club, but Elseid Hysaj has, while El Kaddouri takes on his old teammates for the first time since the January transfer.
Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon complete the usual trident, as Leonardo Pavoletti returns to the bench with Arek Milik.
There are changes at the back, where Kalidou Koulibaly (who is one yellow card away from suspension) is rested ahead of the Juventus showdown on April 2.
Allan and Jorginho get the midfield nod rather than Piotr Zielinski (another ex-Empoli man) and Amadou Diawara.
The biggest worry for Empoli is their toothless attack, as the entire team scored 15 Serie A goals this season – Mertens alone bagged 19.
Levan Mchedlidze, Andres Tello and Uros Cosic are out injured, so El Kaddouri supports the surprise pairing of Manuel Pucciarelli and Mame Thiam (on loan from Juventus).
Empoli are hovering just above the relegation zone and after five consecutive defeats are starting to feel the heat.
Empoli: Skorupski; Laurini, Bellusci, Costa, Pasqual; Krunic, Diousse, Croce; El Kaddouri; Thiam, Pucciarelli
Empoli bench: Pugliesi, Pelagotti; Zambelli, Dimarco, Veseli, Barba, Mauri, Zajc, Buchel, Maccarone, Marilungo
Napoli: Reina; Hysaj, Albiol, Chiriches, Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik; Callejon, Mertens, Insigne
Napoli bench: Sepe, Rafael, Strinic, Giaccherini, Maggio, Maksimovic, Zielinski, Koulibaly, Rog, Pavoletti, Diawara, Milik