By Anna Italia
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56% Ball Possession AS ROMA and 44% Ball Possession EMPOLI
AS Roma 1 – 1 Empoli
57′ Maicon                     39′ Massimo Maccarone (pen)

Serie A Standing BEFORE the game:
AS Roma, 2nd position with 42 points and a positive goal difference of +18
Empoli, 17th position with 19 points and a negative goal difference of -7

A time for revenge.   Empoli needed a victory to avoid falling in the relegation zone while Roma needed the victory to keep up the race for the Scudetto with Juventus.

AS Roma eliminated Empoli in Coppa Italia and now facing again.  There are 9 precedents at the Olimpico between AS Roma vs Empoli with stats seeing AS Roma winning 8  and 1 draw.   25 goals with 18 by the Roman gladiators and 7 by Empoli.   The last victory for Roma against Empoli was during the 2007 – 2008 on Week 30 with the goals by Tonetto and Panucci.  A major challenge for Empoli to defeat Roma or grab a draw.

Things starting badly for Roma with a forced substitution in the 25th minute for injury.  Midfieler Alessandro Florenzi replacing forward Juan Iturbe.

A blow for Roma!  Referee Russo giving a penalty to Empoli conceded by Roma defender Kostas Manolas after a foul on Empoli midfielder Riccardo Saponara in the 37th minute.  Manolas also gets a red card and Roma remain with 10 players.  Chaos for Roma. It is Empoli forward Massimo Maccarone to convert the penalty defeating goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis with a right footed shot.

Empoli now remaining with 10 players as Referee Russo gives a red card to Riccardo Saponara in the 45th minute.

Roma equalizing the score in the 57th mintue with the goal by defender Maicon defeating Empoli goalkeeper Luigi Sepe with a left footed shot.

Here is AS ROMA official starting lineup by coach Rudi Garcia:

AS ROMA  (4-3-3): De Sanctis; Maicon, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Cholevas; Pjanic, Keita, Nainggolan; Ljajic, Totti, Iturbe

Here is EMPOLI official starting lineup by coach Maurizio Sarri:

EMPOLI (4-3-3): Sepe; Hysaj, Rugani, Barba, Mario Rui; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Maccarone, Pucciarelli.

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Stats BEFORE the game. Top scorer for AS ROMA:  Forward Adem Ljajic with 7 goals

Top scorer for EMPOLI:  Lorenzo Tonelli with 4 goals

Stats. Here are the last 3 games of AS ROMA:  1 win, 2 draws

Here are the last 3 games of EMPOLI:   1 draw, 2 lost

Disciplinary situation BEFORE the game. No suspended players

Photo facebook.com/empolifcofficialpage

Photos of the game AS Roma vs Empoli courtesy of asroma.it

2014 – 2015 Italian Serie A Week 21

AS Roma 1  – 1 Empoli
Saturday 31 January 2015
Olimpico di Roma Stadium
Rome, Italy

20:45

Referee: RUSSO
Assistants: PRETI – PAGANESSI
Fourth Official: LONGO
ADD1: TAGLIAVENTO
ADD2: MERCHIORI

Goals: 39′ Massimo Maccarone (E)(pen), 57′ Maicon (R)

Official formations – lineups:

AS ROMA  (4-3-3): De Sanctis; Maicon, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Cholevas; Pjanic, Keita, Nainggolan; Ljajic, Totti, Iturbe

EMPOLI (4-3-3): Sepe; Hysaj, Rugani, Barba, Mario Rui; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Maccarone, Pucciarelli.

Subs: Pugliesi, Bassi; Laurini, Borghini, Signorelli, Diousse, Brillante, Zielinski, Verdi, Mchedlidze, Tavano.

Coach.: Maurizio Sarri.

Match Stats