Home / Match Previews / Serie A: AS Roma vs Empoli preview

Serie A: AS Roma vs Empoli preview

Kick off: Saturday, 17.10.2015. @18:00

Venue: Stadio Olimpico

Head to head record

Roma vs Empoli 1-1 (Serie A)
Roma vs Empoli 2-1 (Coppa Italia)
Empoli vs Roma 0-1 (Serie A)
Roma vs Empoli 2-1 (Serie A)
Empoli vs Roma 2-2 (Serie A)

Roma vs Empoli prediction

Having impressed in back-to-back wins over Carpi and Palermo, Roma will be aiming to extend their winning run in the Serie A when they host Empoli at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday afternoon.

Romans scoring goals for fun

Considering Juventus’ poor form at the start of the new Serie A campaign, Roma are in a position to put an end to Juve’s dominance in the Italian top flight. The Giallorossi are six points clear of the defending champions in the standings, but it has to be noted that they are four points behind league leaders Fiorentina ahead of Saturday’s match against Empoli. Rudi Garcia’s men suffered a shocking 3-2 loss to BATE Borisov in their last Champions League match, but, on the other hand, the Romans did well to beat Carpi (5-1) and Palermo (4-2) in last two league fixtures. Roma have been impressive in front of goal of late and the hosts will be aiming to extend their goal-scoring run in the national championship when they take on Empoli on day 8 of the new Serie A campaign. Former Arsenal striker Gervinho scored a brace in the 4-2 win over Palermo and he will surely pose a big threat for the Azzurri.

The likes of Antonio Rudiger and Edin Dzeko are both doubtful for the match, while Francesco Totti, Kevin Strootman and Seydou Keita are all sidelined with injury.

Morale-boosting win over Sassuolo

Empoli have been having their ups and downs at the start of the 2015/2021 Serie A campaign. The Azzurri have recorded two wins in the national championship to date and thanks to a hard-fought victory over Sassuolo in their last game before the international break the team escaped the relegation zone. The team’s main goal is to secure yet another elite division survival, but, no doubt, new coach Marco Giampaolo is on a very difficult quest. Last season Empoli were producing fine performances against top-table sides and that is surely giving the fans a reason for optimism ahead of the trip to Rome. Italian veteran Massimo Maccarone scored the winning goal for the Azzurri in the 1-0 triumph over Sassuolo and he is widely expected to lead the attack for the visitors against Roma on Saturday evening. It has to be noted that Empoli have never defeated Roma at Stadio Olimpico in the Italian top flight.

The likes of Saponara and Zielinski are both sidelined through suspension, whilst Mchedlidze, Cosic and Croce all miss the Roma game with injury. Tonelli is rated doubtful and he will be monitored ahead of the kick-off.

Roma vs Empoli betting tip

Roma have been producing scintillating displays of late. The capital club have been creating a number of clear-cut chances to score in recent matches and they are widely expected to extend their winning run in the Serie A. Empoli did defeat Sassuolo thanks to Maccarone’s goal in the dying minutes of the match, but seeing that the Azzurri often struggle on the travels, I am not tempted to put my money on the underdogs this time out.

Tip: Roma/Roma

Odds: 2.05 (21/20) @Coral

Check Also

Serie A: Inter vs Juventus preview

Serie A: Inter vs Juventus preview

Kick off: 18.10.2015 @20:45 Venue: Stadio Giuseppe Meazza Head to head record Inter vs Juventus ...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>