Empoli coach Davide Nicola feels only a “volcanic” effort from his side will be enough to help them get a result at AC Milan.

The Rossoneri will be out to keep the pressure on Juventus in the chase for second behind runaway Serie A leaders Inter Milan and head into Sunday’s game on the back of a 4-2 win over Slavia Prague in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

Empoli, meanwhile, sit 15th, just two points above the relegation zone.

Nicola knows his men will be up against it at the San Siro but challenged them to go into the game with a positive mindset.

“When we talk about a team like Milan, strong and with a capable coach, it is not easy to identify flaws, but this is our job and we do it because every opponent has them,” Nicola told a press conference.

“We will need a volcanic Empoli, from the point of view of energy and obsessive organisation in both phases, but also of enthusiasm in showing our identity and the desire to continue on our path.

“We have prepared. The important thing is to do everything with maximum concentration and also with enthusiasm because we have to express ourselves.”

Nicola expects a response to last weekend’s home defeat by Cagliari,

“From a quality point of view, we have already set aside the previous performance,” said Nicola, whose side have won both of their previous two away games.

“We know we need to improve in some phases of the match.

“The desire to compete with a high-quality team, who are used to playing every three days, is an absolute growth opportunity for us.”

AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli will have to do without Rafael Leao through suspension after the Portuguese winger picked up a fifth yellow card in the Serie A victory over Lazio.

Swiss forward Noah Okafor is expected to start, having scored a late winner when coming off the bench at the Stadio Olimpico.

Nicola knows whatever side Pioli picks is set to provide a stern test.

“I don’t think Milan are Leao-dependent, he is an extraordinary player, but they have a competitive squad,” the Empoli coach said.

“Regardless of who is there, we must have the taste and mentality to express ourselves.

“Our attention to work never changes, regardless of the opponent we encounter.”

Serie A strugglers Salernitana have appointed Paulo Sousa as their new head coach after parting company with Davide Nicola for the second time in a month.

Nicola was rehired on January 18 just two days after departing the club, but three defeats in four league games since then has led to another parting of the ways.

Salernitana confirmed the news on their official website on Wednesday, with the announcement of Sousa's arrival following moments later.

Sousa takes charge of his 12th different club, and his second in the Italian top flight following a two-year spell at Fiorentina.

The 52-year-old more recently managed Poland at Euro 2020 and spent six months with Flamengo before being dismissed in June.

Salernitana are 16th in Serie A, five points above the relegation zone with 16 games to play.

Fellow strugglers Spezia also parted company with head coach Luca Gotti on Wednesday after collecting just one point from their past four matches.

Salernitana have confirmed the rehiring of Davide Nicola as head coach just two days after sacking him, with president Danilo Iervolino saying "you never know how much you will miss someone".

The Serie A side dismissed Nicola on Monday after a heavy 8-2 loss to Atalanta the previous day that leaves them a lowly 16th, albeit still nine points clear of the relegation zone.

But Nicola, who worked wonders to keep Salernitana in the Italian top flight last season, revealed on Wednesday he had got his job back following an emotional plea to Iervolino.

That news was confirmed at a press conference later in the day in which Iervolino explained the club's decision to reappoint Nicola, despite having already reportedly held talks with the likes of Rafael Benitez and Roberto D'Aversa.

"I felt compelled to change things after the Atalanta defeat. In that instance, you can only do one thing: review the project and change the coach," Iervolino told reporters.

"Despite what has been written, we found many other interested coaches. There are many coaches, hundreds across the globe, who have offered themselves to Salernitana.

"But [Nicola] and I communicated through [sporting director Morgan] De Sanctis, who spoke highly of him. Nicola wanted to get straight back to work. He admitted to his mistakes and how much he loves this city.

"If you don't lose someone, you never know how much you will miss them. His words struck me. I would have missed him. I thought about it a lot, knowing we had replacements, but this was for the good of Salernitana.

"Now he has another chance with us. With this commitment, he can carry the team forward and make sure we don't again suffer the type of discomfort like on Sunday afternoon [against Atalanta]."

Salernitana have taken just two points from their past six games and host league leaders Napoli in their next match on Saturday, before facing Lecce and Juventus.

"The good news is that after the game with Juventus, we ought to have a slightly calmer fixture list," Iervolino added. "But I still hope to get points over the next three games, too. 

"Our absolute minimum target is to remain in Serie A; the second is to play good football and get the best out of young players and at the same time climb the table."

Salernitana have rehired Davide Nicola as head coach just two days after sacking him following an emotional plea to the club's president, he claims.

The Serie A club dismissed Nicola on Monday in the wake of a crushing 8-2 defeat to Atalanta a day earlier.

Nicola kept Salernitana in the top flight last term, though they have struggled again this campaign despite reportedly investing around €40million in pre-season, with the loss in Bergamo leaving them 16th in the table.

However, just two days after the club confirmed Nicola's dismissal in a press release, the coach claims he is back in the hot seat after pleading to president Danilo Iervolino.

"I'll tell you the truth. Yesterday I received a call from president Iervolino," Nicola wrote on social media. "With his methods, which are always amiable and kind, [Iervolino] explained the reasons for his decision, which he took with bitterness but was supposed to mark our discontinuity after the very bad match in Bergamo against Atalanta.

"I immediately held my hands up, assuming all the responsibilities for an inadequate performance and the consequential heavy defeat, because I believe in this club, as well as in the men who make it up, just as I believe in the great support behind it.

"I strongly urged the president to reconsider the decision, knowing that I was pulling on the heartstrings of a human soul that has a deep sensitivity to understand, and who strongly wants to build a different kind of football. I love Salerno and I blindly believe in this project.

"It is he [the president] who strongly believes that when men all pull in the same direction, they are capable of extraordinary things, and I have already seen many extraordinary things done by him.

"I thank the president for having called me. This is the demonstration that new football is a football of passion and heart, and for this I want to repay his trust with all my strength and with all the passion I have.

"With the sports management led by Morgan De Sanctis, whom I thank for the mediation without which this operation would not have been possible, weeks of very hard work and continuous discussion await us to achieve our goals.

"Now let's start again together, ALL of us, and tell another extraordinary football story, giving back to the Granata fans the same passion and the same sense of belonging that they show us unconditionally. This is Salerno, this is Salernitana: much more than a football team."

Despite Nicola's passionate letter and claim of being reinstated, Salernitana have not posted any official confirmation of his return on social media nor their website.