Empoli vs Cagliari prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-03-02 14:00.
The hiring of coach Davide Nicola has turned out to be a great decision for Empoli as their latest entertaining 3-2 win against relegation-threatened Sassuolo stretched their current unbeaten run under his tenure to six Serie A matches (W3, D3). Considering that his side sat second bottom of the standings heading into the second half of January, few managers are performing as well as Nicola at present, especially as that run sees Empoli start this round 13th and with a five-point cushion to the relegation zone.
Empoli have also substantially bettered their home league record of late, claiming five points across their last three outings at Stadio Carlo Castellani (W1, D2), though even with that improvement, their ten points taken on home soil still remains the second-worst tally in the division. The hosts also remain the only team yet to score at least ten home goals this Serie A season, but as they’ve now netted seven times across their last three matches, that could change here.
A last gasp goal saw second-bottom Cagliari steal a point against defending champions Napoli last time out (1-1), a result that made it back-to-back draws for the visitors. That should serve as a morale boost after a prior run of four consecutive defeats, with Claudio Ranieri‘s side now starting this round level on points with 17th-placed Verona and 18th-placed Sassuolo.
Life on the road hasn't been pleasant for Cagliari so far though, as they remain one of only three sides yet to register a single away league victory this term (D4, L9). In fact, the last time the Sardinian side celebrated an away top-flight win was all the way back in February 2022 and success in this one seems unlikely too, given their record of just one win in nine at this venue (D1, L7).
Players to watch: Another symbol of Empoli's resurgence is M'Baye Niang who has scored in each of his three matches for the club – each time after the break. Cagliari's Zito Luvumbo scored in stoppage time against Napoli, whilst each of his four goals this season have acted as his team's first.
Hot stat: Cagliari have opened the scoring in a joint-league low six Serie A matches (W1, D2, L3).