Monza vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-03-03 14:00.
Back-to-back defeats âto-nilâ, including a 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Salernitana last time out, has slowed down Monzaâs charge towards the top half in their maiden Serie A (SA) season, but the mood at the club should remain positive, especially with the clubâs president Silvio Berlusconi reportedly looking for new investors to help take the team to the next level.
Sitting comfortably 12 points above the relegation zone, Monza will be eager to avoid their first three-game losing streak since the five defeats in a row they registered at the start of the season. They will also be keen to get their first home win of 2023 under their belt (D3, L1), but with each of those four outings witnessing Monza concede first â and three times inside the opening 15 minutes â a good start is sure to be crucial.
An injury-depleted Empoli were comfortably beaten by Napoli last time out, with coach Paolo Zanetti admitting that in his opinion, âthereâs no better team in Europeâ than SAâs runaway leaders. Even so, he was left frustrated by the defending from his team in the build-up to both goals with each deriving from corners, and itâs now no win in five SA games for the Tuscany-based (D3, L2).
With an unbeaten SA away record when finding the back of the net (W2, D6), a goal could give the mid-table side the platform to end that winless league run here. However, as one of the divisionâs âdraw specialistsâ this season, collecting a joint-league high ten draws coming into the round, we might instead be in store for another deadlock, which was the case when these two last met in the league at this venue back in February 2021 (1-1).
Players to watch: Monzaâs Patrick Ciurria has scored three goals in 2023, with each arriving inside the opening 20 minutes. Tommaso Baldanzi remains Empoliâs top SA scorer with four goals, including the winner at Inter earlier this year.
Hot stat: Monza have collected all of their eight SA wins after scoring first (D1, L2).