Empoli vs Salernitana prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2022-05-13 16:00.
Empoli relinquished a two-goal lead for the first time in Serie A (SA) since January 1999 when they collapsed to a 4-2 loss against Inter Milan last time out, and they’ve now managed just one win across 20 games (D8, L11). Their lethargy could be attributed to top-flight safety being already guaranteed but the sight of Davide Nicola in the opposition dug-out should spur Empoli to life as they look to avoid losing three SA games in a row for the first time since December 2018.
That’s because it was a Nicola-managed Crotone side that condemned Empoli to relegation in 2017 on a miraculous final matchday, and ironically a win here for the hosts could potentially drag Nicola’s current side Salernitana back into the relegation zone. Scoring first may not aid that quest as Empoli have the least number of home points (five) when scoring first this league campaign (W1, D2, L2).
A dramatic 99th-minute equaliser pegged Salernitana back in their recent 1-1 draw against direct relegation rivals Cagliari, but they remain on the cusp of achieving one of the greatest escapes. The visitors have strung together the club's longest unbeaten run in the competition (W4, D2), therefore morale in the camp should be upbeat despite the fact they’ve logged their most stalemates (nine) ever in a single top-flight season.
Away form is reflective of Salernitana's resurgence with seven points picked up across the last three trips, each time after scoring first. A repeat could calm the nerves on a trip that doesn't particularly rank high on Salernitana’s wishlist after losing nine of 12 away H2Hs (W2, D1) although they did win their only top-flight H2H at this venue.
Players to watch: Andrea Pinamonti has netted Empoli’s last goal in seven of his last ten goalscoring SA matches, with all games seeing goals at both ends. The same thing happened in all nine SA games that Federico Bonazzoli has scored in this season, eight times he was Salernitana’s first scorer.
Hot stat: Empoli have been losing at both half-time and full-time in a league-high nine home games this season.