Atalanta vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-12-21 17:00.
[p]Atalanta extended their stay at the top of the Serie A table by registering a club record tenth consecutive league victory last round (1-0 v Cagliari), including five wins āto nilā during that streak. It marked a truly momentous occasion in which La Dea stood outright on the top of the standings for back-to-back rounds for the first time since Serie A returned to 20 clubs in 2004/05.Ā [/p]
[p]Coming up is a potentially season-defining four-game period that includes meetings with fellow top-four hopefuls Lazio (away), Juventus (home) and Napoli (home), so the home side will be eager to boost confidence further. And with 17 of the 28 goals accumulated in their ten straight Serie A wins coming at home, formidable goalscoring form combined with their recent clean sheet streak leaves them well-placed to record what would be a fifth consecutive win over Empoli.[/p]
[p]Empoli come into this fixture looking to avoid back-to-back defeats for the first time since falling to Lazio (2-1 away) and Napoli (1-0 home), which isnāt ideal preparation for another high-ranking opponent. They picked up a big win over Hellas Verona (4-1) in their previous Serie A away trip and consequently have now taken points from a very impressive six of their eight league games (W3, D3, L2) on the road this season, despite starting every single encounter as the outsiders.Ā [/p]
[p]Securing back-to-back away Serie A victories would be a very rare feat for the Tuscan club who have done so just once since the start of the 2022/23 season. Theyāre also yet to win a Serie A game at home or away this term against any club starting this round above them in the standings (D4, L4), but thereās enough there to give them hope of ending Atalantaās record-winning streak.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Atalantaās NicolĆ² Zaniolo is gunning to score in three consecutive Serie A games for just the second time in his career but would have to score at home for the first time this season to do so. Opponents Sebastiano Esposito (four) and Lorenzo Colombo (three) recorded all of their Serie A goals this term away from home.Ā [/p]
[p]Hot stat: Atalanta led at half-time in only two of their last seven Serie A wins.Ā [/p]
[p][i]Written by Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]