Empoli vs Palermo Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Serie A returns for the New Year in some style, as two struggling sides go head to head for points. This game pits 18th placed Palermo against Empoli, the side directly above them in the table. Can either claim a crucial win and move closer to safety? On the other hand, a defeat here would be an awful way to return from the international break, and it would put one of these two in deep trouble.

Palermo have just started to climb up the table, so a defeat would be a big blow to them. They boosted their survival hopes before the break by taking four points from their last two fixtures. That lifted them off the bottom of Serie A and they’re now just a place away from safety. They’re lucky to come in to this match just four points off 17th, as Empoli blew their chance to win at Atalanta in their final match of 2016.

One side can take a massive step towards survival, but which will be able to take this opportunity? Empoli come in as favourites, but they’ve managed to win just three of their 18 Serie A matches this term, losing five of their nine at the Carlo Castellani. The Azzurri have an awful record in front of goal, having failed to score in 72% of their games so far. They average just 0.56 goals per game here, so it’s easy to see why they’re struggling.

That awful scoring ratio gives Palermo a chance here, especially given their strong away record this season. They’ve taken 90% of their points so far on the road, while they lost eight straight matches at home before picking up their first point there in their final game of 2016. The Rosanero are pretty prolific scorers on their travels, having found the net in nine straight away trips in the league. If they can continue that run here it should basically guarantee them a result, based on Empoli’s scoring form.

Palermo’s new boss Eugenio Corini has inspired an impressive turnaround in his men, and we think he can lead them to a result on Saturday. After all, the Rosanero ended Genoa’s unbeaten home record in their last away game. They should be able to follow that up with a result at Empoli. We’re backing them to take a result against a team who have failed to win 78% of their home matches. Palermo or draw is our tip on this one, which looks well priced at 5/6 with bet365.