Friday 09/05/2014, 19:00, Italy Serie B, Round 38 Empoli vs Crotone
Empoli vs Crotone Betting Preview
Empoli tries to hold on to a second place in Serie B because retaining this position would mean that they will be guaranteed to play in the first flight next season. By comparison, Crotone sits in the third place, separated by only four points and tonight they will be aiming for a road win that would bring them within striking distance.
Empoli vs Crotone Betting Odds
At Bet365
Empoli 1.70, Draw 3.60, Crotone 5.00
Empoli vs Crotone Betting Tips
Serie B is a particularly long championship, because with 22 teams to outshine, one would need to play 42 games, plus the cup fixtures. So far, Empoli did a fine job at keeping up the tempo and the vast majority of points were collected in front of their fans, where they won 9/18 games.
They led Serie B for almost half a season, but from December onward they failed to win consecutive games and draws starting to pile up. Even so, they managed to stay just a few points behind leading Palermo and they won't face them in the remaining rounds.
April ended on a high note, with a 2-0 victory over Spezia and Empoli finally broke the ice to win back-to-back games as a result of a 3-1 victory on the road at Brescia. They now go for the third straight win and they are fully aware of the fact that this is actually a six-point game of critical importance.
Crotone can brag about an equally strong home record, but on the road they haven't won in more than a month and have a hard time scoring goals. Obviously, it doesn't help sending in a single striker, with Bernardeschi being the one preferred each match which explains why he leads the team with 10 goals.
Key Facts
- Empoli has the best pair of strikers of all Italian teams playing in Serie A, with Tavano and Maccarone scoring a combined 31 goals so far and both will play tonight.
- Empoli is yet to lose a game at home against Crotone, winning three games and drawing the other four.
Empoli vs Crotone Betting Prediction
Splitting points won't help the visitors too much, as they would be still trading Empoli by four points, while the hosts will fail to strike the decisive blow. Home pitch advantage is critical for Empoli and they will try to build on this by fielding an aggressive starting formation. Therefore, it is worth backing the hosts at odds of 1.70 to claim all three points and ensure passage to Serie A.
Bet: Empoli @ 1.70 with Bet365
