Empoli v Juventus - Preview and possible lineups

Empoli:

The hosts have had a torrid start to the current campaign; they sit in 18th position in the league table, and are without a home Serie A goal since 27th September against Milan. 

Thankfully for boss Aurelio Andreazzoli, his sqaud has a clear bill of health for what is sure to be a tough encounter this weekend. 

Recent rotation of left backs Luca Antonelli and Manuel Pasqual is expected to continue here, as the former is set to start against the 'Bianconeri' on Saturday.

Juventus: 

Juventus are firing on all cylinders so far this campaign, notching 25 points in nine matches played so far this season. They are still unbeaten in the league, dating back to the end of last season, recording 11 wins and 2 draws in their last 13 Serie A games.

Manager Allegri continues to be without long-term causalties Emre Can, Sami Khedira and Mario Mandzukic, while centre-half Giorgio Chiellini is to undergo a late fitness test after his stellar performance against Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The 'Bianconeri' boss is also expected to heavily rotate his squad for this fixture, as they face a congested schedule in the coming weeks. And so Douglas Costa and Federico Bernardeschi are set to replace Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado in the starting XI.

Aurelio Adreazzoli on high-flying opponents Juventus:

"We have prepared the race like any other challenge. Although we are aware of who we are going to face and who we will be facing."

"For our part, we will try to do the same things as always, without changing our philosophy: during the week we worked with the same motivations and the same objectives as always, or make the most of our chances to bring home the result."

"We are facing an opponent of an extraordinary level on which there is little to say. We are talking about a team that is a show, that you never know how you can play and how you can change in the competition."

"They have great quality and flexibility within the team, with a good coach to vary and exploit this to the fullest: they can do practically everything, in every area of ​​the field"

Maximiliano Allegri on Empoli & squad rotation:

"Empoli play a good football, and control the ball well. They've never lost badly in any game so far. It could be a tricky game for us if we don't face it in the right way"

"Our passes must be more precise in the final third because we don't score enough goals for what we produce."

""Will I rest Cristiano? No, he will play tomorrow. Then, we'll have to guarantee our pass for the round of 16 against Manchester United"

Did you know? 

Juventus are 14 games unbeaten against hosts Empoli in Serie A, winning 12 and drawing twice throughout that run.

Juventus have won all of their last three away trips to Empoli, scoring a total of 8 goals and having only conceded once.

Only Frosinone and Chievo have begun the season worse than Empoli, with the 'Azzuri' only mustering 6 points from nine games played so far this campaign.

Empoli boss has only won once against Juventus during his time in Serie A; a 1-0 victory as manager of AS Roma in 2013.

Possible lineups: 

Empoli: Provedel;Antonelli, Silvestre, Maietta, Lorenzo; Krunic, Capezzi, Acquah, Zajc; Gumina, Caputo.​

Juventus: Szczesny; De Sciglio, Benatia, Bonucci, Sandro; Matuidi, Pjanic, Bentancur; Costa, Ronaldo, Bernardeschi.​