Empoli will be looking to climb out of the Serie A relegation zone when Lazio visit the Stadio Carlo Castellani on Friday night.
As we head into Matchday 17, Empoli find themselves one point inside the drop zone, having lost 10 of their 16 league games this season.
📸📸📸📸 #TorinoEmpoli pic.twitter.com/9pWrJRzaj8— Empoli Football Club Official (@EmpoliFC) December 17, 2023
📸📸📸📸 #TorinoEmpoli pic.twitter.com/9pWrJRzaj8
Meanwhile, eleventh-placed Lazio sit nine points clear of Empoli and only six points shy of the top four due to the congested nature of the standings.
Empoli suffered a 1-0 defeat to Torino last time out, meaning they enter Friday’s clash on a four-game winless run of two draws and two losses.
To make matters worse for the hosts, they have managed to win only one of their previous seven Serie A encounters, recording two draws and four defeats in the process.
Many of Empoli’s recent struggles have come on home soil, as the Blues have won just one of their eight league games at the Stadio Carlo Castellani this season.
Having taken five points from a possible 24 at home this term, Empoli will be desperate to transform their fortunes on Friday.
Lazio, meanwhile, suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan last weekend, with Manuel Lazzari seeing red after goals from Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram.
As a result, the Eagles have only managed to win one of their previous six Serie A clashes, recording two draws and three losses in the process.
It is also worth noting that Lazio have lost five of their eight away league games this season, picking up two wins and one draw along the way.
Although 11 teams have scored more goals than Lazio in 2023-24, only five sides have conceded fewer, highlighting which end of the pitch the team’s problems are.
Head-to-head: Empoli have failed to win any of their last nine Serie A meetings with Lazio, who have collected seven wins during that period.
In terms of the wider picture, the Blues have managed to win just three of their previous 22 league matches against the Eagles.
Team news: Empoli’s injury list features Bartosz Bereszynski, Francesco Caputo, Gabriele Guarino, Viktor Kovalenko and Giuseppe Pezzella.
On the flip side, Lazio are currently without Danish forward Gustav Isaksen and experienced defender Alessio Romagnoli due to injury.
When you couple Empoli’s lowly league position with Lazio’s impressive record in this fixture, all the signs point towards an away win on Friday.
Forebet predicts that both teams will find the back of the net at the Stadio Carlo Castellani, with Lazio outscoring Empoli to claim all three points.