Sassuolo vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-02-23 14:00.
Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi probably imagined his 100th match in Serie A differently than the 3-0 beating the Neroverdi were on the end of against Atalanta last time out. With only rock-bottom Salernitana suffering more than their 14 league defeats this season, it’s hardly surprising that Sassuolo start this round with only goal difference separating them from the drop zone.
A first top-flight relegation is therefore a very real fear among the home faithful, and with just three sides picking up fewer points at home than Sassuolo (W3, D3, L5), they’ll hardly be expecting the revival to begin on their own turf. The Neroverdi have won just once here across their last four outings despite opening the scoring in all, while they also remain the only Serie A side to lose at least twice when leading at half-time at home.
Despite entering the round only two points above their opponents, the mood is completely different in Empoli’s camp after they held European hopefuls Fiorentina to a 1-1 draw last time out. The Tuscan outfit are now unbeaten in five league matches for the first time since May (W2, D3), leaving their fight for survival in much better health than a month ago.
Survival specialist Davide Nicola has become Empoli’s first manager to avoid a single top-flight defeat at the helm in his opening five matches. That’s largely thanks to the improvement he’s overseen in their attackers, who’ve netted eight times in that run. The Azzurri will look to build on that here, and having avoided defeat in three of their last four away matches (W1, D2), this trip won’t faze them.
Players to watch: Andrea Pinamonti, who failed to convert a penalty twice last time out, will be glad to be in front of his fans again as he has scored in three consecutive home matches, twice inside the opening ten minutes. Matteo Cancellieri could respond as both of his league goals this season arrived beyond the hour mark and on the road.
Hot stat: A league-high seven goals were scored in the opening 15 minutes of Sassuolo’s home matches.