MILAN – Here are some curious facts and stats to whet the appetite ahead of the Serie A lunch-time clash Milan-Empoli scheduled for the 15th February. 
Milan and Empoli are the only two sides in Serie A to have found the back of the net exclusively with players named in the starting eleven. From the first 22 rounds this season, no substitute has been able to get his name on the score-sheet. The last Milan player to come off the bench and score a goal was Giampaolo Pazzini: last season against Livorno in a 3-1 victory on the 19th of April 2014. 
A 4-0 win by Milan over Empoli at the San Siro on the 15th of May 1999 was a step towards Milan winning the title at the end of the 1998-99 season. On the score-sheet that day: Bierhoff (32’, 55’  and 60’) and Leonardo (88’). Bierhoff and Alberto Gilardino, with 3 goals each to their names, are the Milan players to have punished the Tuscans the most. 
Empoli, along with Cesena, Fiorentina and Atalanta, are one of the 4 teams in Serie A that have always made use of the 3 substitutions available in every round this season. The Tuscans are also one of the better performing teams in terms of fair play with just 34 bookings over 22 rounds this season.