Napoli vs Empoli predictions, betting tips & match preview

Napoli managed to end a run of three straight defeats on Sunday, they’ll be expecting to add to that on Wednesday night. Their 2-1 win over Crotone wasn’t a classic, but it was a result they desperately needed. Struggling Empoli are the next visitors to the San Paolo, and the hosts are heavily backed to claim a straightforward victory against a side who are poor on their travels.

Empoli picked up a 0-0 draw with Chievo at the weekend, but they still weren’t able to move out of the bottom three. They’re 18th in the table, and they’re on course for relegation. Their form seems to be getting worse as well, so it’s hard to see how they can fight their way back to safety. The visitors haven’t found the net in their last six games in Serie A.

Empoli have also failed to score an away goal so far. They average just 0.22 goals per game. It’s hard to see that weak attack doing too much to damage Napoli here. The Azzurri are really wasteful in front of goal, which is a big part of their struggles going forward. They’ve managed to convert just 2% of their chances into goals this season, which obviously makes claiming victories incredibly difficult. They’ve had mostly low scoring games so far, none of their away games have seen more than two goals.

Napoli aren’t the most solid side at home, but their defence has to be good enough to withstand a team with that kind of attacking record. While Roma put three past the side from Naples at the San Paolo last time out, it’s hard to see any kind of repeat of that here. If they’re to challenge for the title, Maurizio Sarri and his team can’t afford to slip up against a side who are in the bottom three. They essentially need to just find a goal to claim a win, judging by Empoli’s form coming into this game.

That defeat is Napoli’s only home loss in their last 23 here in the league, while Empoli are without a win in 13 away. They’ve lost half of their away matches this term to nil, and we’re backing that to happen again. Napoli to win and keep a clean sheet in 5/6, and that’s our main tip here. The side from Naples could do with a few extra clean sheets, and they should get one against a team who can’t seem to find the net.