Empoli vs Chievo Predictions

Two of Serie A’s bottom four sides clash on Saturday, as they look to boost their chances of staying in the top flight. Empoli come into this clash three points clear of the drop zone, but they’re far from in form. Meanwhile, Chievo are rock bottom, with less than half as many points to their name as the Azzurri. The visitors need to turn around their season by claiming a result in this trip, but can they end an awful away record by seeing off a fellow struggler?

The hosts were beaten 3-1 by Genoa in their last league game, which felt like a huge missed opportunity to move away from danger. They come into Saturday’s clash with expectations on them to lift the points, especially given how poor Chievo have been this term. Empoli have had a mixed record at their own ground, and they have to improve on their tally of 13 points from 11 games. However, they can be relieved that they’re an all or nothing team, who usually win or lose at home, with just one draw here so far. That should stand them in good stead against a team who have failed to win away all season.

Chievo have managed just one victory in 21 games, which has left them struggling to get close to safety. Defeat in this clash will only push them further towards the drop, with Serie B looking unavoidable for the Gialloblu at this stage. They’ve returned to action in 2019 with back to back defeats, but can they boost that in this clash with Empoli? Their big issue here is that they’ve scored just six times in their 10 away trips to date, a huge issue considering that they can’t stop leaking goals.

Chievo have conceded 42 times in their 21 league games so far, letting in the majority of those on the road. The away side have seen that tally boosted in 2019, which has seen a 3-0 loss at Juventus and a 4-3 home defeat by Fiorentina. They’re right at the bottom of the pile in terms of defensive records as a result of those poor numbers, but will that be something Empoli will exploit this weekend? It probably will be if they’re to win the game.

All of the Azzurri’s home wins this season have seen them score at least twice. They returned to league action with a 2-2 draw at Cagliari last month, with the club playing some of the most offensive football of any recently promoted side. They should be in good stead to see off a Chievo side with an awful defensive record, so we’re backing over 1.5 goals for Empoli on Saturday, which covers the possibility of another 2-2 draw for the hosts, alongside any repeat of their winning scorelines at this ground so far.