Genoa vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-12-01 14:00.
A meeting of two sides who conceded stoppage time goals to lose their last outing kicks off Saturday’s Serie A (SA) action, as Genoa host Empoli in a H2H that the hosts have held the upper hand in recent times (W4, D3, L0). The hosts begin the round with a four-point cushion over the drop zone, but Alberto Gilardino’s men will be looking to regain their confidence from earlier this term, as they've lost four of their last six SA outings (W2).
Both of those victories did come at home, meaning they now have the chance to record three top-flight wins in succession on home soil for the first time since January 2021. Both of those wins came courtesy of a 1-0 scoreline, making it three league games in a row here to see that result. That’s quite a change for the Marassi faithful as each of Genoa’s first four competitive home outings this season saw at least four goals scored, including impressive performances against Roma (4-1) and defending champions Napoli (2-2).
There are few teams better suited to recreating those kinds of scorelines against than Empoli, as they have conceded a joint-division high 25 goals ahead of the weekend. That includes a blockbuster 4-3 defeat to Sassuolo last time out, as Aurelio Andreazzolli’s men failed to build on their shock victory over Napoli before the international break.
Empoli’s ability to surprise on their travels of late should inspire their fans, who witnessed impressive clean sheet victories against Fiorentina and Napoli in two of their last three SA away matches (L1). But as they lost their opening three league road trips while conceding 12 without reply, the Azzurri are tough to predict on their travels.
Players to watch: Ruslan Malinovskyi scored his first goal for Genoa last time out, with four of his last five SA goals arriving before the break. The contest for the opener looks likely to involve Francesco Caputo, who scored four of his last six goals for Empoli inside the first 21 minutes.
Hot stat: Genoa and Empoli are two of only four SA sides that are yet to win a single point when conceding first this season.