Lazio vs Empoli
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Sunday, 25 September 2016
Kick-Off: 14:00 UK,
Venue: Stadio Olimpico (Rome).
Lazio will hope to bounce back after a disappointing 2-0 loss to AC Milan against Empoli at the Stadio Olimpico this Sunday.
The Aquile, currently under the guidance of former striker Simone Inzaghi, have earned seven points from their first five games. At home, they’ve won one (a 3-0 result over Pescara) and lost one (1-0 against Juventus). To date, they have only lost four times to Empoli dating back to September 1997, and none of these have been at the Stadio Olimpico. They naturally will be loath to see that change this weekend.
Inzaghi will still be hoping that Bastos, Federico Marchetti and Dusan Basta will all be able to pass late fitness tests to feature, otherwise he will have to modify his preferred starting XI. Meanwhile, Empoli are already looking like one of the several teams who will be battling to stay afloat. Fortunately perhaps for Giovanni Martusciello, he will have pretty much every player – save for Andrea Costa – available for this match.
Empoli have only scored two goals this term. Both were against Crotone – a team making their Serie A debut. Since then, they have drawn blanks in their past two games and are coming into this fixture having suffered a 2-0 reversal against Inter.
Lazio vs Empoli Head-to-head statistics
Empoli have failed to win their last 11 away games.
Lazio have been winning at half-time AND full-time in 6 out of their last 8 meetings with Empoli.
The Azzurri have failed to score in six out of their past seven road fixtures, and there have been under 2.5 goals in that period of time.
The Aquile have won 14, drawn four, and lost only two of their last 20 home games against teams ranked below them in the table.
Empoli have won just one out of their past 20 away games against teams ranked higher than them in the table, whilst losing 13 and drawing six.
Lazio vs Empoli: Prediction
It’s still early, but anyone who has been following this year’s edition of Serie A surely will have noticed that there’s something amiss about Empoli. The Tuscan outfit are clearly not the same side from last year and unless they improve quickly, they could be joining sides like Crotone and Pescara in a battle to avoid the drop at the conclusion of this campaign.
Meanwhile, Lazio have shown some promise, but consistency is something that continues to elude them. Losing to Milan surely will not have left a good taste in their mouths, especially following the elation Biancocelesti fans surely would have felt after a convincing 3-0 win over Pescara. Nonetheless, Empoli’s bad away form will again be a stumbling block and something Lazio can take advantage of. The hosts should be able to win this game without too much fuss, and potentially keep a clean sheet given Empoli’s tendencies to fire blanks on the road.
Lazio vs Empoli: Betting tips
Lazio to win at 4/9 (1.44)
Clean sheet for the Aquile at 3/4 (1.75)
Under 2.5 goals at 9/10 (1.90).
