Empoli vs Verona prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-08-18 16:30.
Paolo Zanetti’s Empoli ultimately steered themselves away from relegation trouble in 2022/23, with five unbeaten matches across the last six Serie A (SA) rounds considerably boosting the mood of the fans. During the summer, the Azzurri sold goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario to Tottenham Hotspur, allowing them to make some interesting additions to the squad, including AC Milan’s Daniel Maldini on loan and Emmanuel Gyasi from Spezia on a permanent deal.
Empoli’s current season started with a disappointing Coppa Italia defeat against Serie B outfit Cittadella, but their main goal remains avoiding SA relegation for the third consecutive time – a feat the Tuscans are yet to achieve as they’ve contested three successive seasons in the division just twice before, but finished 18th in the third campaign each time. However, head coach Zanetti will be hoping for a positive start, as Empoli have won three of their last four SA home matches, leading before HT in all three victories.
Hellas Verona preserved their top-flight status in June in an extraordinary relegation play-off, defeating Spezia 3-1. It was a huge relief for a side that spent 28 of the last 29 matchdays inside the bottom three, whilst scoring the joint second-lowest number of SA goals (31) during the regular season.
Trying to change these worrying statistics will be coach Marco Baroni, who led last term’s newcomers Lecce to 16th and is incredibly the sixth Verona manager since the start of the 2021/22 season. One of his tasks will certainly be bettering away results, as the Gialloblu waited until the start of May for their first and only league win on the road in 2022/23.
Players to watch: Empoli’s Francesco Caputo bagged five SA goals last season for the club and has scored in his last two personal H2Hs against Verona, whilst Cyril Ngonge scored twice in the relegation play-off match, taking his total to his five league goals in the regular season since his January arrival.
Hot stat: Verona have failed to score before half-time in six SA H2Hs, with each of the last three ending 1-1.