Empoli-Venezia: Ismajli absent, D'Aversa prepares the decisive challenge

by Simone Cioni

Ismajli can't do it. The Albanian central defender, who continued to work separately yesterday like Anjorin and Solbakken, has thrown in the towel and will not be available to D'Aversa for the delicate direct confrontation tomorrow at 15pm at the Carlo Castellani-Computer Gross Arena against Venezia. There is still some hope of seeing the other two on the list of players called up. In this regard, the last session of the week this morning will be decisive. If the English midfielder and the Norwegian striker also fail to make it, D'Aversa will have the same players available against the Venetians as in the away match in Naples last Monday. For this reason, at the moment it is logical to think that the starting lineup will not differ much from the one that started at the Maradona. Also because if both Anjorin and Solbakken were in the game, it is unlikely that they would be seen from the start. Vasquez will therefore go in goal again, for whom the match against Di Francesco's team could be a sort of revenge after what happened in the first leg, when a sensational blunder of his gave the lead to Venezia, then remedied by Esposito on an assist from Colombo. Here is the pair of 'enfant-prodige', the best Azzurri scorers, could be the real novelty compared to Naples. It is true that by fielding both of them from the first minute, if Solbakken were to forfeit, D'Aversa would then have no weighty attacker on the bench for a possible offensive change in the second half, without taking anything away from the very young Konate and Campaniello. But in a match with a high specific value like this one, however, putting them right from the start, perhaps together with Fazzini in the three-quarter line, would be a good signal to the team about what result to seek at all costs.

For his part, the young playmaker from Viareggio is in fact in a ballot with Cacace, who however after a long series of starters could start from the bench this time. No changes are expected in the other departments except for a small ballot between De Sciglio and Goglichidze for the place on the center right in the three-man defense, where the other two places will still be occupied by Marianucci and Viti. The same goes for the midfield where Grassi and Henderson will operate in the center with Gyasi and Pezzella to guard the two side lanes. Outside, where during the match Ebuehi could also be useful, his entries both against Cagliari and last Monday in Naples were comforting, and Sambia. In short, once again the choices risk being few, but although the championship does not end tomorrow, this one with Venezia is a fundamental match that, in one way or another, could mark the sprint to salvation for Empoli. The hope of every Azzurri fan is to find one and only one 'surprise' in the Easter man.