The Serie A outfit are heading into the match on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Heidenheim in the mid-week, while Lille got the better of Le Havre 3-2.
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Empoli will play Lille in a pre-season friendly at Kufstein Arena in Austria on Saturday. The Serie A outfit are heading into the match on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Heidenheim in the mid-week, while Lille got the better of Le Havre 3-2. Empoli had a decent Serie A campaign last term finishing 14th in the standings having collected 43 points from 38 games, 12 points clear of the relegation zone. Les Dogues, on the other hand, claimed fifth place in the 2022-23 Ligue 1 standings courtesy of pocketing 67 points, six points adrift of the top three.
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Ultimo allenamento per gli azzurri questo pomeriggio alla #Sportplatz di #BadHäring; domani alle 14.00 l’amichevole con il Lille prima del rientro a Empoli pic.twitter.com/JFMg5CXkJR
— Empoli Football Club Official (@EmpoliFC) July 28, 2023
Empoli, who had earned promotion to the Serie A courtesy of winning the 2020-21 Seri B title, have managed to avoid relegating for a second successve term having finished 14th in the Italian top flight standings last term. Gil Azzurri recorded three wins, two draws and one defeat from their final five league games last season. However, Zanet Paolo’s men haven’t made a great start to their pre-season losing out to to the newly promoted Bundesliga side Heidenheim despite the fact that Emmanuel Ekong got on the scoresheet. Saturday’s fixture will be the Blues’ final friendly of this summer as they begin their competitive season with a Coppa Italia first round match against Cittadella on August 12.
Lille, on the other hand, would be proud of their fifth-place finish in the Ligue 1 last term having finished at the mid-table in the 2021-22 season. The 2021 French top flight champions collected eight points from their final four league games last season and thereby managed to overtake Monaco and claim the final European spot. Meanwhile, Les Dogues have had a perfect pre-season thus far claiming three successive wins against the likes of Dunkerque (3-1), Cercle Crugge KSV (7-2) and Le Havre. On Wednesday, the Mastiffs got the better of the newly promoted Ligue 1 side thanks to Jonathan David’s 18th-minute opener and a second-half brace from new arrival Hakon Haraldsson. Fonseca Paulo’s men have two more friendlies lined up against Empoli and Brentford before kicking off their 2023-24 Ligue 1 campaign away to Nice on August 11.
Empoli probable starting lineup: Perisan, Cacace, luperto, Walukiewicz, Stojanovic, Ranocchia, Grassi, Gyasi, Fazzini, Baldanzi, Caputo
Lille probable starting lineup: Chevalier, Toure, Alexsandro, Yoro, Ismaily, Baleba, Andre, Cabella, Ounas, David, Haraldsson,
Empoli
| Opponents | Score |
| Heidenheim | 2-1 (L) |
| Lazio | 0-2 (L) |
| Verona | 1-1 (D) |
| Juventus | 4-1 (W) |
| Sampdoria | 1-1 (D) |
Lille
| Opponents | Score |
| Le Havre | 3-2 (W) |
| Cercle Brugge KSV | 7-2 (W) |
| Dunkerque | 3-1 (W) |
| Troyes | 1-1 (D) |
| Nantes | 2-1 (W) |
The pre-season friendly between Empoli and Lille will take place at Kufstein Arena on Saturday at 5:30 pm IST.
| Empoli vs Lille | Key Details |
| Date | July 29 |
| Venue | Kufstein Arena |
| Kickoff time in Austria | 2:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Italy | 2:00pm |
| Kickoff time in France | 2:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 5:30 pm |
Football fans in Italy can catch the live action via DAZN.
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