Atalanta vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-04-27 16:00.
[p]Things continue to look bright for Atalanta, who are still fighting on three fronts after a 4-2 aggregate victory over Fiorentina earned them a place in the final of the Coppa Italia. La Dea also have a Europa League semi-final to look forward to, yet they begin the weekend just four points adrift of the Champions League qualification places with a game in hand, so their focus can’t be shifted from Serie A either.[/p]
[p]Coach Gian Piero Gasperini will therefore be looking to improve on a run of just two wins from their last eight league matches (D3, L3). Atalanta have also failed to win their last two Serie A outings on home soil at the Gewiss Stadium (D1, L1), although a prior seven-match winning run indicates they’ll be able to rediscover the formula for success.[/p]
[p]A crucial 1-0 win over Napoli last weekend gave Empoli a breather in their battle against relegation, moving them three points clear of the drop zone ahead of this round. With the fight for survival remaining incredibly tight there’s no room for complacency from the Azzurri, who’ve now won two of their last three matches (L1) – with both victories coming against current top-ten teams.[/p]
[p]Recording back-to-back wins has thus far eluded them this season however, last doing so back in May! A three-game losing run on the road – failing to score in each – indicates that trend may continue, as does the fact that they’ve lost each of their last three league meetings with Atalanta.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Ademola Lookman has opened the scoring in five of the last six games in which he’s found the net, while he assisted the deadlock breaker in the reverse fixture. Empoli could turn to M’Baye Niang for a late response, as all of his four league goals this season have come during second-half action.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Atalanta’s last 22 competitive games have seen at least one first-half goal.[/p]