The Matchday 21 encounter in Serie A between Inter and Empoli will take place on January 19 at the San Siro Stadium in Milan. Inter vs. Empoli: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Ermanno Feliciani (Italy)
Matches – 7 (Serie A, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 18;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.6;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 57%.
Predicted lineups for Inter vs. Empoli
Inter (3-5-2): Yann Sommer – Matteo Darmian, Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni – Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Piotr Zielinski, Kristjan Asllani, Federico Dimarco – Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram.
Empoli (3-5-2): Devis Vasquez – Saba Goglichidze, Mattia Viti, Ardian Ismajli – Liberato Cacace, Emmanuel Gyasi, Alberto Grassi, Youssef Maleh, Giuseppe Pezzella – Sebastiano Esposito, Lorenzo Colombo.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Inter
In the last round, Simone Inzaghi's side couldn't overcome Bologna at home (2-2). As a result, Inter's winning streak in the league was halted at six matches, but they extended their unbeaten run to 14 games (11 wins, 3 draws). Additionally, the club conceded at least two goals for the sixth time this season. In the standings, the Milanese are second with 44 points, three points behind leaders Napoli with a game in hand. Notably, Inter is the highest-scoring team in the current championship with 48 goals.
Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu and forward Joaquin Correa will miss the match due to injuries.
- The club has not lost in their last seven home matches in Serie A (4 wins, 3 draws).
- Both teams have scored in 6 of the last 8 home league matches.
- The Milanese have scored at least two goals in 7 of their last 10 home Serie A matches.
Empoli
Roberto D'Aversa's side suffered a 1-3 defeat at home to Lecce in the last round. This loss was Empoli's fourth in their last five league matches (with one draw against Venezia). The team has 20 points and is in 14th place in the standings. Notably, this season Empoli has earned more points away (13) than at home (7).
Defender Tyronne Ebuehi, midfielders Tino Anjorin and Nicolas Haas, and forward Ola Solbakken will miss the match due to injuries.
- The team has not won in 6 of their last 7 away matches in Serie A (3 draws, 3 losses).
- Both teams have scored in 6 of Empoli's last 7 away league matches.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final score in 8 of Empoli's last 11 away Serie A matches.
Inter vs. Empoli: Match Prediction
At home, the Milanese rarely face difficulties in attack and score regularly. The last time Inter failed to score in a home league match was in April 2023, and their scoring streak now stands at 32 matches. However, this season in Serie A, the Milanese are not as solid defensively as they were last season: in ten home matches, Simone Inzaghi's side has conceded 12 goals, compared to just 11 in the entire previous championship.
I think Empoli is unlikely to grab points, but they will be in contention for a goal. The team has been effective away from home this Serie A season: in 9 of 10 away encounters, Roberto D'Aversa's side has found the back of the net, failing to score only against the defensively strong Milan. However, Empoli makes many defensive errors and has not kept a clean sheet in their last seven away matches.
I expect both teams to score in this match, so my prediction: Both teams to score – Yes
