📏 Form Guide

Empoli

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Empoli will be hoping to return to winning ways here following the 1-0 Serie A losing effort in their last game against Lecce.

In that match, Empoli had 46% possession and 3 shots on goal with 0 of them on target. Lecce had 14 attempts at goal with 7 on target. Nicola Sansone (89') was the scorer for Lecce.

Empoli have found it difficult to unlock defences in recent times. Their sum of goals equals just 3 vs opponents over the course of their last six outings. In those games, Empoli have also seen the number of goals against them total 8.

SSC Napoli

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In their last fixture, Napoli drew 2-2 in the Serie A match with Frosinone.

In that match, SSC Napoli had 66% possession and 20 attempts on goal with 9 on target. For SSC Napoli, the scorers were Matteo Politano (16') and Victor Osimhen (63'). At the other end, Frosinone had 13 shots at goal with 6 of them on target. Walid Cheddira (50', 73') scored for Frosinone.

The numbers tell their own story, and Napoli have been scored against in 6 of their last 6 matches, letting opponents get 12 goals in total. In defence, SSC Napoli could really do with shoring things up. Such a trend won’t necessarily be carried forward into this next game, however.

Heading into this fixture, SSC Napoli are undefeated in their previous 4 league matches away from home.

🤜🤛 Head to head

Checking out their prior head to head meetings stretching back to 13/01/2021, it’s been all-even between these two clubs with Empoli winning 3 of those games, Napoli 3 and 0 being drawn in regulation time.

16 goals were scored between the two sides throughout the course of those matches, with 7 of them from Azzurri and 9 netted by Partenopei. That’s an average goals per game figure of 2.67.

The previous league meeting between these sides was Serie A match day 12 on 12/11/2023 when it ended SSC Napoli 0-1 Empoli.

In that game, SSC Napoli had 65% possession and 18 attempts at goal with 7 of them on target.

On the other side, Empoli had 8 attempts on goal with 3 of them on target. Viktor Kovalenko (91') was the scorer.

The match was refereed by Alessandro Prontera.

🗞️ Team News: Empoli

There aren’t many personnel worries, with just the sole fitness concern for the Empoli boss Davide Nicola to contend with from of an almost fully healthy group. Tyronne Ebuehi (Cruciate ligament tear) is out of contention.

It seems likely that Azzurri look set to kick off with a 3-4-2-1 system for the game, beginning the first half with Elia Caprile, Bartosz Bereszynski, S. Walukiewicz, Sebastiano Luperto, E. Quartsin Gyasi, Giuseppe Pezzella, Razvan Marin, Youssef Maleh, Szymon Zurkowski, Nicolo Cambiaghi and Alberto Cerri.

📰 Team News: Napoli

Due to a mostly full-strength group of players, there’s only the lone fitness issue for the Napoli manager Francesco Calzona to be concerned with. Mathías Olivera (Adductor injury) won’t be in action. The players who will not be able to play in this game through being suspended are Mário Rui and Amir Rrahmani.

We’re of the thinking that Partenopei will likely elect for a 4-3-3 lineup, settling for Alex Meret, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leo Oestigard, Juan Jesus, Pasquale Mazzocchi, A. Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski, Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen and K. Kvaratskhelia.

✨ Prediction

Here, we’re thinking that Empoli will have a tough ask to score goals against this SSC Napoli side who we reckon will be able to grind out a win.

We therefore think that it’s going to be a good battle with a 0-1 winning margin for SSC Napoli when the referee blows for full-time.

A close call.

Our expert partners are tipping under 3.5 goals for this match. Check out their VIP predictions here.

Andre Moura, 15:08 20/04/2024