Torino vs Empoli preview - Torino hope to honour 1940s team

Posted Wednesday, May 06, 2015 by PA

An emotional Urbano Cairo urged Torino's modern players to honour the lost team of the 1940s by securing European football over the Serie A run-in.

The Toro president was speaking at a ceremony held in Turin to commemorate the 31 victims - including the entire title-winning Torino side of the day - who died in a plane crash on May 4 1949.

Torino are currently down in ninth place but are only four points behind fifth-placed Fiorentina and a Europa League berth ahead of Wednesday night's home meeting with Empoli.

The Granata enjoyed a European adventure this season, reaching the last 16 of the secondary competition before exiting at the hands of Zenit St Petersburg.

Cairo told the Corriere dello Sport: "It's always an emotional day for us but this time it feels a little bit more so - it's been a dramatic year.

"I have told the players that, as they bear the Italian champions of that 'Grande Torino' side in mind, we must use these last five games to get back into Europe."

Midfielder Giuseppe Vives is the only absentee as he serves a one-match ban while Empoli arrive at the Stadio Olimpico without the injured Tiberio Guarente and banned defender Lorenzo Tonelli.

The promoted Tuscans are as good as safe in the top flight following their surprise 4-2 victory over Napoli and another point would see them secure a second straight season in Serie A.

The 15th-placed club's head coach Maurizio Sarri said: "I'm expecting it to be a difficult game for several reasons.

"We're going up against a strong and organised team, who have lofty ambitions at the moment and who want to honour the anniversary of the Superga plane crash in the best possible way."