By Anna Italia
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66% Ball Possession FIORENTINA and 34% Ball Possession EMPOLI
Fiorentina 2 – 2 Empoli 
56′ Nikola Kalinic 18′ Marko Livaja
61′ Nikola Kalinic 27′ Marcel Büchel
Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
Fiorentina, 1st position with 27 points and a positive goal difference of +15
Empoli, 12th position with 14 points and a negative goal difference of -5
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | Goals | DIFF | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fiorentina | 12 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 24:9 | 15 | 27 |
| 12 | Empoli | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 13:18 | -5 | 14 |
Fiorentina needed a victory to keep the first position. It’s a super Tuscan derby now with Empoli trying to upset Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium, and they almost did it.
Hello, hello, hello…. surprise at the Franchi!!!! It is Empoli to silence Fiorentina fans when opening the score in the 14th minute! Yep, it is forward Marko Livaja to defeat Fiorentina goalkeeper with a right footed shot in the top right corner. The assist is by midfielder Riccardo Saponara.
Things complicating for Fiorentina! Empoli, surprisingly, increasing the score! In the 26th minute, midfielder Marcel Büchel scores with a left footed in the bottom right corner.
Hey, hey, hey… it seems Fiorentina waking up! In the 56th minute, forward Nikola Kalinic defeating Empoli goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski with a headed shot in the bottom left corner. The assist is by defender Marcos Alonso.
Whoooopss! And now Empoli going blank! Fiorentina gaining momentum and equalize the score!!! Its the same, the one and only Kalinic to take care of business and defeat goalkeeper Skorupski with a right footed shot in the bottom let corner.
- There are only 6 precedents in Serie A between Fiorentina vs Empoli. Stats showing Fiorentina with 4 wins, 1 draw, and Empoli with 1 win.
Here is FIORENTINA official starting lineup by coach Paulo Sousa:
Fiorentina (3-4-1-2): Tatarusanu, Tomovic, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Astori, Rebic,Vecino, Suarez, Alonso, Borja Valero, Mati Fernandez, Babacar.
Here is EMPOLI official starting lineup by coach Giampaolo:
Empoli (4-3-1-2): Skorupski; Laurini, Tonelli, Costa, Mario Rui; Zielisnki, Paredes, Buchel; Saponara; Livaja, Maccarone.
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Empoli FC Tickets
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Stats BEFORE the game. Top scorer for FIORENTINA: Nikola Kalinic with 7 goals
Top scorer for EMPOLI: Riccardo Saponara with 4 goals
| Fiorentina | Goals | Goals | Empoli |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalinic, Nikola | 7 | 4 | Saponara, Riccardo |
| Ilicic, Josip | 4 | 3 | Maccarone, Massimo |
| Babacar, Khouma | 4 | 2 | Pucciarelli, Manuel |
| Alonso, Marcos | 2 | 1 | Buchel, Marcel |
| Blaszczykowski, Jakub | 1 | 1 | Zielinski, Piotr |
Stats. Here are the last 3 games of FIORENTINA: 3 wins
| 08/11/15 | SA | Sampdoria – Fiorentina | 0:2 | Round 12 |
| 05/11/15 | UELG | Lech Poznan – Fiorentina | 0:2 | Matchday 4 |
| 01/11/15 | SA | Fiorentina – Frosinone | 4:1 | Round 11 |
Here are the last 3 games of EMPOLI: 1 win, 1 draw, 1 lost
| 08/11/15 | SA | Empoli – Juventus | 1:3 | Round 12 |
| 02/11/15 | SA | Palermo – Empoli | 0:1 | Round 11 |
| 29/10/15 | SA | Sampdoria – Empoli | 1:1 | Round 10 |
Photo: facebook.com/ACFFiorentina
Fiorentina official lineup against Empoli
2015 – 2016 Italian Serie A Week 13
Fiorentina 2 – 2 Empoli
Sunday 22 November 2015
Artemio Franchi Stadium
Florence, Italy
15:00
Referee: BANTI
Assistants: PAGANESSI – BARBIRATI
Fourth Official: MANGANELLI
ADD1: DOVERI
ADD2: PASQUA
Goals: 18′ Marko Livaja (E), 27′ Marcel Büchel (E), 55′ Nikola Kalinic (F), 61′ Nikola Kalinic (F)
Official lineups – formations:
Fiorentina (3-4-1-2): Tatarusanu, Tomovic, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Astori, Rebic,Vecino, Suarez, Alonso, Borja Valero, Mati Fernandez, Babacar.
Subs: Lezzerini, Sepe, Gilberto, Badelj, Kalinic, Bernardeschi, Verdu’, Rossi, Pasqual, Roncaglia, Ilicic.
Coach. Sousa.
Empoli (4-3-1-2): Skorupski; Laurini, Tonelli, Costa, Mario Rui; Zielisnki, Paredes, Buchel; Saponara; Livaja, Maccarone.
Subs: Pugliesi, Pelagotti; Zambelli, Bittante, Ronaldo, Maiello, Diousse, Barba, Pucciarelli, Piu , Camporese, Krunic.
Coach. Giampaolo.
Match Stats
| Fiorentina | Match Stats | Empoli |
| 2 | Goals | 2 |
| 18(5) | Shots (on goal) | 15(4) |
| 20 | Fouls | 12 |
| 6 | Corner kicks | 3 |
| 2 | Offsides | 3 |
| 66% | Ball Possession | 34% |
| 5 | Yellow Cards | 3 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 2 | Saves | 3 |
