Empoli vs Atalanta prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2022-10-29 11:30.
Sitting in the safety of midtable after 11 Serie A (SA) rounds (W2, D5, L4) is a start that many Empoli fans may have taken at the beginning of the season. However, the Tuscany-based side needs to turn those draws into victories if they have visions of finishing in the top half of the league for the first time since 2006/07, particularly as they picked up almost two-thirds of their seasonal points last campaign in their first 18 league matches of that season.
Empoli can’t afford another poor spring performance unless they start taking points immediately. Confidence is unlikely high at the moment, as Paolo Zanetti’s men suffered a 4-0 defeat last time out to Juventus and they now face another strong opponent as high-flying Atalanta come to town, though Empoli are unbeaten in three of the last four H2Hs (W2, D1, L1).
Despite suffering their first defeat of the season against Lazio on last Sunday, you perhaps wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that the absence of European duties suits Atalanta well as they’ve never collected more points at this stage of a SA campaign (24). However, their latest loss was also their first SA match since March 2018 in which Atalanta failed to fire a single shot on target, and coach Gian Piero Gasperini will want to see his side in amongst the goals again as soon as possible.
He might not have to wait for long, as the visitors are unbeaten on the road this SA season (W4, D1), where they’ve also kept four clean sheets. Gasperini might also note that Tuscany has been a happy hunting ground for his team recently with Atalanta winning three of their last four trips to this region (L1), including a 4-1 victory in this fixture last term.
Players to watch: With just one SA goal to his name this season, Mattia Destro will be looking to add to his fifth personal strike against Atalanta, with three of the previous four arriving after the break. Meanwhile, Atalanta forward Luis Muriel has contributed to four goals (G1, A3) in his seven personal meetings with Empoli.
Hot stat: The away side on the day has opened the scoring in eight of the last 11 H2Hs – the others ended goalless!