Udinese vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-01-03 19:45.
The World Cup break came at a great time for Udinese, who saw their form fall off a cliff before the mid-season pause. After their best start to a season after eight games in the three points per win era, the Bianconeri have failed to win any of their last seven league matches (D5, L2) and they require fast improvements if they are to keep dreams of a first finish in the European places since 2012/13 alive.
If Andrea Sottil is to get his side’s season back on track an uptick in home form will be required, as Udinese have won just three of their last ten home league games (W3, D3, L4), a poor run perhaps exacerbated by the fact they’ve conceded first on the last four occasions. The visit of Empoli possibly comes at a good time then, as the Bianconeri have a dominant H2H record on home soil in the top flight (W8, D3, L2).
The Azzurri are unlikely to be pushovers though, as they’ve recovered from failing to win any of their first six Serie (SA) games to sit relatively comfortably in mid-table. Empoli were victorious in three of their last six games before the World Cup, with their three defeats in that sequence coming against big hitters Napoli, Atalanta and Juventus.
Paolo Zanetti will now be hoping to inspire an improvement in his side’s form on the road, as Empoli have won just one SA away game so far this season (D3, L3) with only Cremonese and Verona winning less (zero) ahead of this round. Maybe the main culprit for this poor run is a return of just five goals scored from their seven road trips, a total higher than just four other teams in the division.
Players to watch: Udinese playmaker Lasar Samardžić scored on his final appearance before the World Cup, while he also netted in last season’s 4-1 victory in the corresponding fixture. Tasked with stopping him may well be Empoli full-back Fabiano Parisi, who has scored twice from defence this season; he’s also never lost a goalscoring appearance in his senior career (W5, D2).
Hot stat: Only three SA sides have conceded more than Udinese’s eight goals before half-time this season.