The Matchday 15 clash in Serie A between Verona and Empoli will take place on December 8 at the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium. Verona vs. Empoli: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Marco Di Bello (Italy)
Matches – 16 (Serie A, 2023/24–2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 56;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.5;
Red cards shown – 4;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 31%.
Predicted lineups for Verona vs. Empoli
Verona (4-4-2): Lorenzo Montipo – Domagoj Bradaric, Giangiacomo Magnani, Diego Coppola, Jackson Tchatchoua – Tomas Suslov, Reda Belahyan, Suat Serdar, Darko Lazovic – Casper Tengstedt, Dylon Rocha Livramento.
Empoli (3-5-2): Devis Vasquez – Saba Goglichidze, Mattia Viti, Ardian Ismajli – Emmanuel Gyasi, Youssef Maleh, Liam Henderson, Tino Anjorin, Giuseppe Pezzella – Pietro Pellegri, Lorenzo Colombo.
The starting lineup for each team in their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Verona
In the last round, Paolo Zanetti's side suffered a 0-1 away defeat to Cagliari. This was their tenth loss in the current championship – no team has lost more. Additionally, Verona has the worst record for goals conceded in this Serie A season (33). With 12 points, Verona is 17th in the standings, just one point clear of the relegation zone.
Defender Martin Frese and midfielder Ondrej Duda will miss the game due to injuries. Defender Diego Coppola is suspended.
- The team has not won in 6 of their last 9 home matches in Serie A (1 draw, 5 losses).
- At least three goals have been scored in 9 of the club's last 11 league games.
- The number "3" has appeared in the final scoreline in 5 of Verona's last 7 home matches in Serie A.
Empoli
Roberto D'Aversa's side suffered a heavy 0-3 defeat away to AC Milan in the last round. As a result, Empoli has failed to win in eight of their last nine Serie A matches (4 draws, 4 losses). Moreover, the club failed to score for the sixth time in the current championship. Nevertheless, the team remains in tenth place in the standings, with 16 points. Notably, with ten goals scored this Serie A season, Empoli is ahead of only Lecce in this metric (7).
Defenders Mattia De Sciglio and Tyronne Ebuehi, as well as midfielders Nicolas Haas and Jacopo Fazzini, will miss the match due to injuries.
- The club has not won in 11 of their last 13 away matches in Serie A (4 draws, 7 losses).
- No more than two goals have been scored in 10 of the team's last 12 away league games.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final scoreline in 6 of Empoli's last 8 away matches in Serie A.
Verona vs. Empoli: Match Prediction
Verona is not known for their reliable defense and even at home, they concede regularly and heavily. In the current Serie A season, the team only managed to hold off Napoli's attack in the first round, while in all other six home matches, they allowed their opponents to score. Notably, only in one of these games did Verona concede fewer than two goals, and in their last home clash, they allowed Inter to score five times.
Despite their cautious playing style, Empoli often manages to trouble opponents' defenses and create dangerous moments. In their last match against AC Milan, the team failed to score for the first time this Serie A season, ending their 7-match scoring streak in away league games. It is also worth noting that Empoli has scored in their last five head-to-head encounters at Verona in Serie A.
Considering the pre-match scenarios, I expect the visitors to score at least once. My prediction: Empoli Individual Total Over 0.5