diff --git a/tensorflow/core/kernels/matching_files_op.cc b/tensorflow/core/kernels/matching_files_op.cc
index 0ba718c88ec..515e58d518a 100644
--- a/tensorflow/core/kernels/matching_files_op.cc
+++ b/tensorflow/core/kernels/matching_files_op.cc
@@ -54,13 +54,15 @@ class MatchingFilesOp : public OpKernel {
         context, context->allocate_output("filenames", TensorShape({num_files}),
                                           &output_t));
     auto output = output_t->vec<tstring>();
-    int index = 0;
-    for (int i = 0; i < num_patterns; ++i) {
-      for (int j = 0; j < all_fnames[i].size(); j++) {
-        output(index++) = all_fnames[i][j];
+    if (output.size() > 0) {
+      int index = 0;
+      for (int i = 0; i < num_patterns; ++i) {
+        for (int j = 0; j < all_fnames[i].size(); j++) {
+          output(index++) = all_fnames[i][j];
+        }
       }
+      std::sort(&output(0), &output(0) + num_files);
     }
-    std::sort(&output(0), &output(0) + num_files);
   }
 };
 
diff --git a/tensorflow/python/data/kernel_tests/list_files_test.py b/tensorflow/python/data/kernel_tests/list_files_test.py
index 40b4b77116c..b57bfb7293b 100644
--- a/tensorflow/python/data/kernel_tests/list_files_test.py
+++ b/tensorflow/python/data/kernel_tests/list_files_test.py
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ class ListFilesTest(test_base.DatasetTestBase, parameterized.TestCase):
 
     # Each run should produce the same set of filenames, which may be
     # different from the order of `expected_filenames`.
-    self.assertItemsEqual(expected_filenames, all_actual_filenames[0])
+    self.assertCountEqual(expected_filenames, all_actual_filenames[0])
     # However, the different runs should produce filenames in the same order
     # as each other.
     self.assertEqual(all_actual_filenames[0], all_actual_filenames[1])
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ class ListFilesTest(test_base.DatasetTestBase, parameterized.TestCase):
       actual_filenames.append(compat.as_bytes(self.evaluate(next_element())))
     with self.assertRaises(errors.OutOfRangeError):
       self.evaluate(next_element())
-    self.assertItemsEqual(expected_filenames, actual_filenames)
+    self.assertCountEqual(expected_filenames, actual_filenames)
     self.assertEqual(actual_filenames[:len(filenames)],
                      actual_filenames[len(filenames):])
 
@@ -234,6 +234,5 @@ class ListFilesTest(test_base.DatasetTestBase, parameterized.TestCase):
         assert_items_equal=True)
 
 
-
 if __name__ == '__main__':
   test.main()