Empoli vs Fiorentina prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-02-17 14:00.
Serie A survival specialist Davide Nicola is beginning to work his magic with Empoli, who are unbeaten in his four matches at the helm so far (W2, D2). A 3-1 win over fellow strugglers Salernitana last time out lifted the Azzurri out of the drop zone, and as that was the second time they’ve scored three goals in a game under Nicola, it appears he’s starting to solve their goalscoring woes.
Empoli’s 18 goals scored across the season is still the lowest such total in the division though, while only Salernitana (seven) have picked up fewer points at home than their nine. A visit from Fiorentina may seem another difficult proposition on paper at least, but Empoli have lost just one of the last six H2Hs (W3, D2) and after winning the reverse fixture 2-0, they could do the double over the Viola for the first time ever!
Confidence may well be high of doing just that as Fiorentina arrive in a slump ahead of this derby match. Vincenzo Italiano’s side have won just one of their last six Serie A matches (D1, L4) to fall five points off the pace of their top-four rivals, including Bologna, who they were comfortably beaten by in midweek in a 2-0 defeat.
That was a third consecutive league defeat on their travels, leaving the Viola vulnerable to losing four such outings in a row for the first time since November 2021, which seems a likely outcome as they’ve also failed to score in four of their last seven away league outings. The omens are certainly stacked against them too in another regard, as the fourth defeat in that prior streak was a 2-1 defeat against none other than Empoli!
Players to watch: Empoli forward M’Baye Niang could be in line for a start here after opening his account for his new club with a match-winning goal against Salernitana last time out. Fiorentina will be desperate for Nicolás González to rediscover his early season form as soon as possible, as each of his last ten goalscoring appearances have helped the Viola avoid defeat (W8, D2).
Hot stat: Just two of Empoli’s 12 home league games have seen both teams score.