Cagliari vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-09-19 16:30.
[p]Cagliari suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to Napoli last week, with three goals conceded beyond the hour keeping them winless (D2, L2) and in the relegation zone after four rounds. Goals remain a concern for the Islanders, who have scored only once in this Serie A campaign and aggregated just five shots on target across their last two matches.[/p]
[p]Both their points this season have come at home and coach Davide Nicola will hope that their scoring fortunes change at the Unipol Domus, as they have at least netted in 11 of their last 13 home league games. But both the exceptions came in this league campaign and the hosts will also be wary of their recent record against Empoli having failed to score in their last two home league H2Hs (D1, L1).[/p]
[p]Empoli’s win here in the 2021/22 campaign remains their only top-flight H2H victory but maybe they will be confident of doubling that tally having held Juventus to a 0-0 draw last matchday. That result kept them unbeaten in the first four matches (W1, D3) of a top-flight campaign for only the second time in their history. Coach Roberto D’Aversa will now hope his players can step up on this trip as he looks to halt his personal seven-game winless H2H record (D2, L5).[/p]
[p]The lone league win of this campaign came on the road for Empoli, which keeps them unbeaten in three away league games (W1, D2). You could argue then that improvements are already visible as this sequence comes after a run of five straight losses away from home, each without scoring.[/p]
[p]Key battle: Cagliari goalkeeper Simone Scuffet will fancy his chances of keeping a clean sheet having done so in three of his four personal H2Hs, including both in the top-flight. One player in the Empoli camp looking to spoil that record could be Giuseppe Pezzella, who is not known for his goals but did grab his solitary Serie A strike at this venue in the 2020/21 campaign. [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Six of the last nine top-flight H2Hs, as well as Cagliari’s last three league matches, have produced exactly one first-half goal.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Sridhar B[/i][/p]