Cremonese vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-04-13 16:30.
Cremoneseās 3-2 win against Sampdoria last weekend was their first Serie A (SA) away win since March 1996 and offered the faintest of lifelines in their unlikely survival bid. Despite victory, coach Davide Ballardini noted that they āhave to be much, much better to be able to competeā as they remain ten points adrift of safety. And with five of their next eight league games against current top-ten sides, an immediate return to Serie B is looking a grim reality.
Their form at Giovanni Zini Stadium doesnāt inspire confidence either as Cremonese have lost seven of their last eight competitive home matches (W1). As the only SA side yet to win a single point at home after conceding first (L9), there is seemingly added emphasis on Cremonese avoiding a sluggish start, but with a whopping 18 SA goals conceded in the opening half hour this term, they have developed a nasty habit of starting slow.
Mid-table Empoli held European chasing AC Milan to a goalless draw in their last league match, a result which saw their cushion to the relegation zone reduce to ten points. Despite the gap to Verona in 18th, coach Paolo Zanetti isnāt ready to take things for granted just yet, saying after the draw with Milan that they would keep fighting until it was mathematically impossible to get relegated. They might well need to keep their focus as two of their next three games are against current top-eight sides, meaning the visitors can ill afford to let their guard down and risk being pulled into some late-season relegation drama.
On the flip side, three of Empoliās remaining league fixtures, including this match, are trips to current bottom-three sides, which could prove to be a double-edged sword with those teams reaching desperation point in their survival battle! That should be enough motivation for Empoli here, as they look to maintain their proud record of having never lost a league H2H (W4, D5) after winning the reverse fixture 2-0.
Key battle: Marco Carnesecchi will be hoping for a quieter afternoon here as the Cremonese ākeeper has conceded exactly twice in his three previous H2Hs. One of the first to test him could be NicolĆ² Cambiaghi who has scored Empoliās opener with his last three SA goals.
Hot stat: Empoli have conceded a league-high 6.14 corners per SA game this campaign.