Today, on May 17 in Empoli, the Ukraine national team will play a friendly match against the local club of the same name (kickoff at 9:30 PM). We present our opponent.

"Empoli" (Italy)

General Information

The club was founded in 1920. League: Italian Serie A. Stadium: "Carlo Castellani" (19,847 spectators). Three-time winner of Serie B (2004/2005, 2017/2018, 2020/2021). Nickname: blue.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Samir Ujkani (Kosovo), Giulio Vicario, Jacopo Furran.

Defenders: Libero Kakace (New Zealand), Petar Stojanovic (Slovenia), Adrian Ismaili (Albania), Riccardo Marchizza, Simone Canestrilli, Simone Romagnoli, Riccardo Fiamazzo, Lorenzo Tonelli, Roberto Pirrello, Sebastiano Luperto, Mattia Viti, Fabiano Parisi.

Half-backs: Ivo Kachmariak, Simon Zurkowski (both — Poland), Leo Stulac (Slovenia), Liam Henderson (Scotland), Nedim Bayrami, Kristian Asllani (both — Albania), Nicolas Haas (Switzerland), Valerio Verre, Federico Di Francesco, Giovanni Crocata, Marco Benassi, Filippo Bandinelli, Tommaso Baldanzi.

Forwards: Emmanuel Ekong (Sweden/Nigeria), Patrick Cutrone, Andrea La Mantia, Andrea Pinamonti.

Currently, there are 32 players on the roster with an average age of 25.4 years. Of the twelve foreign players, eight represent five national teams — Kosovo, Albania, Slovenia, New Zealand, and Poland.

Head Coach

The coach of "Empoli" is 68-year-old Italian professional Aurelio Andreazzoli, who replaced Alessio Dionisi on this position on June 21, 2021. It should be noted that this is already the third term for Andreazzoli at the Tuscan club.

Before being appointed as coach of the blues, the experienced mentor worked in twelve clubs, the most famous of which are "Udinese," "Roma," "Fiorentina," and "Genoa." His highest coaching achievement is associated with "Empoli." In his previous term, he won the championship with the team in Serie B. Under current leadership, Andreazzoli has led "Empoli" through 40 matches: winning 11, drawing 11, and losing 18.

In tactics, the coach adheres to a 4-3-1-2 formation.

Leader

Currently, the leader of the Italian team is 22-year-old forward Andrea Pinamonti, who plays for "Empoli" on loan from "Inter."

He has played 75 matches for all youth and junior national teams of Italy from U-15 to U-21, scoring 27 goals. Champion of Italy with Inter (2020/2021).

With "Empoli," he has played in 36 matches and scored 13 goals, making Pinamonti the top scorer for the club this season. The authoritative portal Transfermarkt values him at €16 million.