Empoli vs Roma predictions, betting tips & match preview

Roma won at Sassuolo in midweek to keep hold of second spot in Serie A. They come into the weekend just two points behind leaders Juventus, and they could well be the most realistic challengers for the title. They’ll have to see off second from bottom Empoli on Sunday if they’re to keep up the pace on the Italian champions.

It’s hard to see that being much of a problem, given the form the visitors are in. They’ve won four matches in a row in the league, scoring 12 goals in the process. They’ve lost just two of their last 27 games in the league, which is championship winning form.

Empoli are in a completely different position, they’ve been really struggling for results in the league of late. They’ve failed to score in seven straight games now, despite coming up against some open sides. Teams like Napoli and Inter Milan have been open in recent games, but they’ve both kept clean sheets against the Azzurri.

Those scoring problems have seen them lose four of their last six. They’ve scored just 0.4 goals per game this season in the league, while their games have all been very low scoring. They’ve seen 80% of their matches finish with two goals or less being scored. It’s hard to see them turning anything around against a side who are in fantastic form.

Empoli could really do with a forward like Edin Dzeko to help them right now. The former Manchester City man has been excellent for Roma this term, finding the net 10 times already this season, five times Empoli’s haul so far. On top of that record, he’s scored eight times in just six games in Serie A. The Bosnian forward is clearly in excellent form, and we can see him getting back on the score-sheet again this weekend. He’s certainly worth a look to score any time, at 5/6 with bet365.

Roma have been in great scoring form in general, averaging 2.6 goals per game this term. They’ve scored in nine of their 10 Serie A matches this season, which gives them a huge advantage against a team who are really struggling for goals. Empoli have lost 60% of their games to nil already this season, and we can see this being another. The visitors should have too much class for their opponents, so we’re backing them to win and keep a clean sheet at 7/4 with bet365.