Luis Torres
Dailysports's expert
Fiorentina
Empoli
On Sunday, April 27, the Artemio Franchi Stadium will host the Serie A Round 34 match between Fiorentina and Empoli. The teams approach this head-to-head with different goals: the hosts continue their fight for European competitions, while the visitors are desperately battling for survival. Let's consider the bet on the winner of this clash.
Fiorentina
Fiorentina is in good form: in the last eight matches, the team has not suffered a single defeat, securing five victories and drawing three times. Currently, the "Viola" are in eighth place in the Serie A standings with 56 points, trailing only four points behind the fourth position, which grants a Champions League spot. In the last round, the team secured an away victory over Cagliari with a score of 2-1.
Fiorentina is particularly strong at home, boasting 10 wins in 17 matches with a goal difference of 27:15. However, in the last two home games across all competitions, the team drew and now aims to redeem themselves in front of their fans.
Simultaneously, the "Viola" are performing well in the Conference League: they passed Slovenian club Celje in the quarter-finals and are now preparing for a semi-final against Spanish side Betis.
Empoli
The team is in 19th place in the Serie A standings with 25 points and risks relegation from the top division. However, they are only one point away from the safe 17th place, currently held by Lecce, so Empoli still has a chance to remain in the elite.
The team's winless streak across all competitions has now reached 21 consecutive matches. The visitors continue to face serious difficulties both in defense and attack. In the last five rounds, Empoli drew three times and lost twice, scoring only three goals and conceding nine.
The team is particularly weak away from home, with just three wins in 17 matches and 30 goals conceded.
Some consolation for fans was Empoli's advance to the Coppa Italia semi-finals, but there they also ended their run, losing to Bologna over two legs.
Interesting facts and head-to-head
- Fiorentina is unbeaten in their last 8 matches.
- In 8 of the last 10 matches involving Fiorentina, more than 2.5 goals were scored.
- In 4 of the last 5 matches involving Fiorentina, both teams scored.
- Empoli hasn't won in 25 of their last 26 matches.
- Empoli is unbeaten against Fiorentina in 8 of their last 9 head-to-head encounters.
Probable lineups
- Fiorentina: De Gea, Pongracic, Mari, Ranieri, Dodo, Fagioli, Cataldi, Mandragora, Gosens, Gudmundsson, Kean.
- Empoli: Vásquez, Goglichidze, Viti, Marianucci, Gyasi, Grassi, Henderson, Pezzella, Esposito, Fazzini, Colombo.
Fiorentina vs Empoli match prediction
Fiorentina approaches the match in excellent form and continues to fight for the European spots, while Empoli is desperately battling for survival but is in a prolonged crisis. Despite recent struggles in head-to-head encounters with Empoli, the current state of the teams is in stark contrast: the "Viola" are unbeaten in 8 consecutive matches, play confidently at home, and perform well in the Conference League, whereas Empoli can't win in 21 games in a row and struggles on the road. Considering the difference in class, current form, and motivation, a bet on Fiorentina's victory seems the most logical choice. My bet is Fiorentina to win with odds of 1.8.
