The Matchday 20 clash in Serie A between Empoli and Lecce will take place on January 11 at the Carlo Castellani Stadium. Empoli vs. Lecce: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Daniele Chiffi (Italy)
Matches – 7 (Serie A, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 30;
Average yellow cards per match – 4.3;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 43%.
Predicted lineups for Empoli vs. Lecce
Empoli (3-5-2): Devis Vasquez – Saba Goglichidze, Mattia Viti, Ardian Ismajli – Emmanuel Gyasi, Alberto Grassi, Tino Anjorin, Youssef Maleh, Giuseppe Pezzella – Sebastiano Esposito, Lorenzo Colombo.
Lecce (4-3-3): Vladimiro Falcone – Antonino Gallo, Federico Baschirotto, Gabi Jean, Frederic Guilbert – Lassana Coulibaly, Balthazar Pierre, Hamza Rafia – Patrick Dorgu, Nikola Krstovic, Tete Morente.
Each team's starting lineup from their last match in this tournament is indicated.
Empoli
Roberto D'Aversa's side drew 1-1 with Venezia away in the last round. As a result, Empoli ended a run of three consecutive defeats in the league, but the team has failed to keep a clean sheet for eight matches in a row. The club has accumulated 20 points and is sitting in 12th place in the standings, but they are only three points clear of the relegation zone. Notably, Empoli has won only one home game in the current Serie A season – fewer than only Genoa and Monza.
Defenders Giuseppe Pezzella and Tyronne Ebuehi, midfielder Nicolas Haas, and forward Ola Solbakken will miss the match due to injuries.
- The club has not won 8 of their last 9 home matches in Serie A (4 draws, 4 losses).
- The team has not scored more than once in nine previous home games in the league.
- Both teams scored in 6 of Empoli's last 8 matches in Serie A.
Lecce
In the last round, Marco Giampaolo's side shared points with Genoa in a home encounter (0-0). As a result, Lecce has not won 5 of their last 6 matches in Serie A (2 draws, 3 losses). Moreover, the club failed to score for the tenth time in the current championship. In terms of goals scored (11), the team is by far the worst in this Serie A season. In the standings, Lecce has 17 points and is in 18th place.
Defender Kialonda Gaspar, midfielders Hamza Rafia and Medon Berisha, and forward Lameck Banda will not play due to injuries.
- The team has not won 10 of their last 11 away matches in Serie A (3 draws, 7 losses).
- No more than two goals were scored in 8 of the club's last 11 league matches.
- The number "1" appeared in the final score in 9 of Lecce's last 11 matches in Serie A.
Empoli vs. Lecce: Match Prediction
This season, Roberto D'Aversa's team has faced significant challenges in creating chances, even in home games. Across nine home matches in the current league season, Empoli players have scored only three goals in total and failed to find the net against opponents like Monza or Torino. However, the team has not conceded more than one goal in 10 of their last 12 home matches in Serie A.
Lecce also struggles to score, especially in away encounters. In their last ten away league matches, the club's players have only scored two goals in total and left the field without scoring on eight occasions. At the same time, there are fewer questions about the team's defense: in their last 12 away Serie A matches, Lecce conceded more than one goal only four times, three of which were against Inter, Milan, and Roma.
From this matchup, I expect a low-scoring game. My prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
