Udinese vs Empoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2025-02-15 14:00.
[p]Avoiding defeat at Napoli for the first time since December 2013 represented a significant result for Udinese, who remain inside the top half of the Serie A table as a result. Kosta Runjaić’s men find themselves somewhat stranded in mid-table, but another win here could keep them in touch with the lower end of the European places, and confidence should be high as they’re unbeaten in six H2Hs with Empoli (W2, D4).[/p]
[p]Home isn’t proving much of a safe haven at the moment, with Udinese ending a six-match winless run at Stadio Friuli when beating Venezia last time out (D2, L4). Worryingly, that 3-2 victory continued a trend that’s seen them concede 2+ goals after half-time in four of their last five matches here, with 12 of the 17 goals they’ve conceded on their own turf this term arriving after the break (71%).[/p]
[p]The arrival of one of the division’s lowest scorers will be most welcome then, as strugglers Empoli visit on the back of a nine-match winless run in Serie A (D2, L7). A 2-0 defeat to AC Milan last week leaves the Azzurri just a point clear of the relegation zone, with Roberto D’Aversa’s men perhaps fortunate that the three teams starting this round below them were also beaten in their most recent fixtures.[/p]
[p]The Empoli faithful are unlikely to be panicking though, as their 21-point haul is the same as at this stage last season. Recent away form suggests they will struggle to add to that here as Empoli’s last away H2H win came back in 2015 (D2, L3), while they have also lost three of their last four games on the road against any opponent (D1), conceding 3+ goals in each of the defeats.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: Jurgen Ekkelenkamp scored his first Serie A goal in the win against Napoli, with that the ninth of his last 12 goals to arrive before half-time. Empoli’s Lorenzo Colombo also likes to strike early with each of his last four goals coming in the first half, three of which served as the match opener.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Only Venezia have lost more Serie A matches that stood level at half-time (eight) than Empoli (seven).[/p]
[p][i]Written by Tomáš Vlasák[/i][/p]