Empoli vs Parma Predictions

Two sides who were on the wrong end of heavy defeats last weekend meet on Saturday. Empoli lost 3-0 away at AC Milan, while Parma were beaten 4-0 at home by Napoli. That collapse is a blow for the visitors, who are in terrible form. They make this trip without a real need to pick up points, but can they shake off complacency in order to pick up a win in this trip to Empoli?

The hosts have managed to stay just outside of the drop zone, despite their defeat last time out. Their 3-0 win over Sassuolo in their last home game remains enough to put them three points clear of Bologna. The fight for survival is set to be close, and Empoli need to take their chances at home. With Parma coming here out of form, this is certainly a big opportunity for the Azzurri at home.

The visitors are pushing to end a five-game winless run, which has seen them lose four times. Those defeats have left the club rooted in the bottom half, which still isn’t bad given they’ve only just come up alongside Empoli. They’ve got an 11 point lead over the drop zone, and that has in part come from great away form. The majority of their points so far have come on the road, as have the majority of their goals.

Empoli’s big problem has been a lack of clean sheets, as they’ve conceded in 88% of their matches overall. They turned to a defensively minded manager earlier this term, but he hasn’t exactly helped them, as they’ve now kept one clean sheet in 22 Serie A games. That awful return is likely to continue here, given that they’ve shipped 48 goals in just 25 games already.

On a brighter note, the hosts have scored twice or more in five of six meetings with bottom half sides at home. Empoli have got attacking talent, which helped them to promotion last term, including six goals in two Serie B clashes with Parma. The hosts should be confident going forward here, and that could add to their high scoring form. Empoli have seen over 2.5 goals in 15 of their last 17 league games, while over 2.5 goals has landed in 67% of Parma’s trips. With eight of Empoli’s last nine here seeing at least three goals, we think over 2.5 is the best bet on this clash.