Empoli vs Lecce prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-04-02 16:30.
Manager Paolo Zanetti will hope speculation about his future does not unsettle his Empoli team as they attempt to end a run of four straight defeats. The 40-year old only took charge last summer but he’s already being linked with a return to Torino, where he spent four years of his playing career, should they part ways with current incumbent Ivan Jurić.
Such uncertainty comes at a bad time for the Blues, who could yet be dragged into a relegation battle following an eight-match winless streak (D3, L5). Zanetti insists he would have “signed in blood” to be where they are in the table at this stage of the season, but their current form means Empoli’s league position is a far cry from where they were at the end of January, when qualifying for European football for the first time in 15 years looked on the cards.
Supporters may be confident of ending that barren run against visitors Lecce, who have won just two of the last dozen meetings between the two sides (D6, L4). That does not bode well for the Yellow and Reds, who also arrive at Stadio Carlo Castellani having lost four successive fixtures, meaning they sit one point below Empoli in the table.
Just staying in Serie A (SA) would actually be an achievement for Marco Baroni’s side, who are enjoying only their second season in the Italian top flight since 2012. Their position in the table has been aided by a decent return of 15 (of their total of 27) points accumulated away from home, with their two most recent victories both coming on the road and contributing to Lecce being one of just five sides in SA ahead of the round to have won more points on their travels than at home.
Key battle: Empoli skipper Filippo Bandinelli has faced Lecce three times without ever losing (W1, D2), with both teams scoring in each match. Lecce’s Gabriel Strefezza, meanwhile, will be hoping to improve his reasonably poor winning record from matches in which he’s netted, after losing four of the last nine fixtures when getting on the scoresheet (W3, D2).
Hot stat: There’s been just four goals in the last 15 minutes of Lecce’s league games this season (two for, two against), the lowest total in SA.