The Serie A action on Sunday kicks off at Stadio Carlo Castellani, where Empoli, the early season surprise, host league leaders Napoli. While Napoli come into the match as favorites, they’d be wise not to underestimate Empoli, who have been overachieving so far.

Empoli come into this match after a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Lazio just before the international break. Despite taking an early lead, they couldn’t hold on, with Pedro scoring the decisive goal in the 84th minute. Taty Castellanos’ missed penalty in the second half didn’t help either, marking the end of Empoli's six-match unbeaten start to the season (W2, D4).

Despite the setback, Empoli’s start to the season is their best in almost two decades. Much of the credit goes to coach Roberto D’Aversa, who led the team to safety last season, narrowly avoiding relegation by a single point. This season, Empoli remains one of the league's least valuable squads, second only to newly-promoted Venezia in terms of market value. So it's clear that they are over performing.

In addition to their strong Serie A start, Empoli also managed to edge Torino 2-1 in the Coppa Italia, booking a spot in the Round of 16. D’Aversa’s team has shown resilience, managing to pick up nine points from 18 in matches where they weren’t favored (W2, D3, L1), suggesting that Napoli won’t have an easy time on Sunday.

However, Empoli's home games have been less than thrilling, with all three of their league matches at Carlo Castellani ending 0-0. While those scoreless draws include holding Juventus and Fiorentina at bay, it leaves the door open for another unpredictable result.

Empoli’s resolve will be tested against a Napoli side led by Antonio Conte, who is aiming to secure another Serie A title after successful stints with Inter and Juventus. Conte’s tenure at Napoli didn’t start well, with a 3-0 loss to Hellas Verona on the opening weekend, but since then, Napoli have found their rhythm, winning five of their last six league games (D1) and climbing to the top of the table before the international break. With Inter close behind, just two points back, Napoli have no room for error.

There’s plenty of reason for Napoli to be cautious against Empoli. Last season, Empoli managed to beat Napoli twice in the league, keeping them scoreless on both occasions.

Despite Empoli’s impressive defensive record at home, Napoli have been solid on the road, keeping clean sheets in their last two away matches against Juventus (0-0) and Cagliari (0:4). They also demolished Como 3:1 just before the break.

This match could end up being a tight, low-scoring affair, with one goal potentially making the difference. Napoli look poised to be the side to find the back of the net and claim the win. Quality difference is huge and I beliebe we'll see Empoli going down soon, back to their real level.

周日的意甲联赛将在卡洛卡斯泰拉尼球场打响，恩波利，这个赛季初的惊喜，将主场迎战联赛领头羊那不勒斯。虽然那不勒斯是最受欢迎的球队，但他们最好不要低估恩波利，他们到目前为止一直表现出色。

在国际比赛日之前，恩波利1 - 2惨败拉齐奥。尽管一开始就取得领先，但他们没能保持住，佩德罗在第84分钟打进了决定性的一球。塔蒂·卡斯特利亚诺斯在下半场罚丢的点球也没有起到帮助作用，标志着恩波利本赛季开局六场不败的结束（W2, D4）。

尽管遭遇挫折，恩波利本赛季的开局是他们近二十年来最好的。这在很大程度上要归功于主教练罗伯托·达维萨，上赛季他带领球队以一分之差险胜保级。本赛季，恩波利仍然是联赛中最没有价值的球队之一，在市场价值方面仅次于新升班马威尼斯。所以很明显，他们表现过度了。

除了在意甲的强势开局外，恩波利还在意大利杯中以2比1险胜都灵，获得了16强的入场券。达维萨的球队表现出了韧性，在不被看好的比赛中（W2, D3, L1）从18分中拿到9分，这表明那不勒斯在周日的比赛中不会轻松。

然而，恩波利的主场比赛并不激动人心，他们在卡洛-卡斯特拉尼的三场联赛都以0-0结束。虽然这些0比0的平局让尤文图斯和佛罗伦萨陷入困境，但这也为另一个不可预测的结果敞开了大门。

恩波利的决心将在孔蒂率领的那不勒斯队面前受到考验，孔蒂在成功效力于国际米兰和尤文图斯之后，目标是夺取另一个意甲冠军。孔蒂在那不勒斯的任期并不顺利，首战周末0 - 3负于维罗纳，但从那以后，那不勒斯找到了自己的节奏，在最近6场联赛中取得了5场胜利（D1），并在国际比赛日之前攀升至积分榜榜首。国米只落后两分，那不勒斯没有犯错的余地。

那不勒斯有足够的理由对恩波利保持谨慎。上个赛季，恩波利在联赛中两次击败那不勒斯，两次都没有让他们进球。

尽管恩波利在主场的防守记录令人印象深刻，但那不勒斯在客场表现稳健，在最近两场客场对阵尤文图斯（0-0）和卡利亚里（0:4）的比赛中都保持了零失球。在中场休息前，他们还打破了Como 3:1的纪录。

这场比赛可能会是一场激烈的、低比分的比赛，一个进球可能会决定胜负。那不勒斯看起来很有可能找到球门并取得胜利。实力差距是巨大的，我相信我们很快就会看到恩波利下滑，回到他们真正的水平。