Young Ukrainian forward Bohdan Popov has been asked for more of the same when Empoli face Reggiana on Friday night.

Popov dazzled on his debut last weekend, scoring twice after coming on as a substitute for the injured Stiven Shpendi and helping his side to a 3-1 win over promoted Padova.

The 18-year-old signed for Empoli from Polish club Gornik Zabrze in 2023 having been a youth player at Dynamo Kiev, and after waiting patiently in Tuscany, he has certainly made his mark on Guido Pagliuca’s squad.

Speaking to dynamo.kiev.ua, he said: “The coach trusts me. He congratulated me on the goals, praised me, and asked me not to stop at what I have achieved.”

It had been a four years since Empoli and Reggiana locked horns but the domestic fixture schedule is helping them make up for lost time, with this their second meeting in a fortnight.

Back in the second tier after finishing 18th in Serie A in May, Empoli kicked off their campaign with a Coppa Italia victory over the Granata but needed penalties to reach the second round after a 1-1 draw at the Carlo Castellani Stadium.

This time they are at the Citta del Tricolore in Reggio Emilia where they will be looking for another win to live up to their billing as one of the ante-post favourites for a quick return to the top flight.

But despite their status, there will be no noise about a promotion push at this early stage of the season.

Popov added: “No one is talking about that yet. We are forming a new young team, and all concentration is on that. I think the goals for the season will be set depending on our performance in the near future.”

For the hosts, the goal is simple – survive another season in Serie B. Reggiana flirted with relegation last term until a run of four straight wins – over Cittadella, Modena, Spezia and Juve Stabia – from late April into May saved them.

The turnaround in form was largely down to the appointment of Davide Dionigi as manager at the end of March and he has continued to impress now the new campaign is underway.

The shootout loss to Friday’s opponents in the cup was followed by another narrow defeat in the Serie B curtain-raiser last weekend, with Palermo, another one of the league’s big boys, winning 2-1 in Sicily.

Dionigi has strengthened his defence since then with the capture of Giangiacomo Magnani, bringing the 30-year-old home from Palermo on loan, and is expected to make more additions before the window closes on Monday. But movement depends on players moving out.

Facing two big guns in as many weeks is a tough task but, speaking just before the season started, Dionigi urged supporters to remain calm, whatever happens.

He said: “Ours is a passionate fan base, but I ask you to be patient and stay close to us as you always have been. We’re building on last year’s enthusiasm, but we’re building something else, so patience is needed now; we’ll repay them over time.”

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