Lecce vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-04-12 13:00.
[p]The Luca Gotti era at Lecce has had far from an ideal start, as despite an unbeaten two-match start to his tenure (W1, D1) – in which they kept two clean sheets – they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by AC Milan at the weekend. The Giallorossi now sit just three points clear of the drop zone and extending that gap looks a tall order when you consider that excluding own goals, the last time they scored was in early February![/p]
[p]Ending that drought in a relegation six-pointer against fellow strugglers Empoli is therefore crucial, but they’ll have to do it without their top league scorer Nikola Krstović who was sent off at the San Siro. Home comforts appear unlikely to get the ball rolling either as Lecce have won just once at the Stadio Via del Mare this calendar year (D2, L3).[/p]
[p]Empoli head into this clash buoyed by ending a four-match losing streak with an impressive 3-2 win over European hopefuls and one of the best defensive teams in division, Torino, last time out. That moved Davide Nicola’s men out of the Serie A relegation zone and two points clear of danger in this incredibly competitive race for survival in Italy’s top-flight.[/p]
[p]The Azzurri (25) are one of just two sides in the division to have scored fewer goals than Lecce (26) though, and a 1-1 draw in this season’s reverse fixture suggests another tight match could be in store. Empoli have fared well against fellow strugglers of late however, winning their last two away matches against bottom-half sides when beating Sassuolo and Salernitana, scoring three goals in each.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: With Krstović suspended, Roberto Piccoli could be Lecce’s biggest threat with three of his four Serie A goals this term arriving beyond the 80th minute. M’Baye Niang scored the winner for Empoli in stoppage time against Torino, with all of his four strikes for the Azzurri arriving after the break.[/p]
[p]Hot streak: There have been at least two cards shown before the break in Lecce’s last eight matches.[/p]