Separated by two points and two places in the Serie A standings, Empoli and Sassuolo convene at Stadio Carlo Castellani on Sunday, both aiming to pull further clear of the drop zone.
While the hosts stunned Serie A's reigning champions Napoli just before the international break, their visitors' last league win came back in September.
Ultimately leading to the departure of Napoli coach Rudi Garcia, the Tuscan club's 1-0 victory at Stadio Maradona fittingly came out of the blue, as they shocked their fellow Azzurri with a stoppage-time goal from Viktor Kovalenko.
That was enough to lift Empoli out of the relegation zone after a terrible start to the 2023-24 campaign, in which they have lost four of their six home matches while scoring just once at Stadio Castellani.
The Azzurri are only the fourth team this century to score as few as five goals in their first dozen fixtures of a Serie A season, and if they are to avoid a long battle against the drop like last season, finding more firepower must be top of Andreazzoli's agenda.
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