Empoli will attempt to escape relegation in the final round for the second year in a row, and it should be much easier to accomplish this time, as Hellas Verona's form leaves much to be desired.
Empoli's back-to-back wins over Monza and Parma left the door open for survival and their last assignment is a clash against Verona, who are also currently not safe from the drop. With Parma and Lecce scheduled to visit Lazio and Atalanta, Monza's chances increase significantly.
The Biancorossi actually hadn't won a Serie A match since 2024 before the last couple of weeks, so they've found their form in the perfect moment. There were signs of improvement from before that, as Monza began to score more goals even in defeats. And since their best performance this season was exactly against Verona in the reverse fixture, they must be confident ahead of this rematch.
As for the Gialloblu, their form deteriorated in the worst part of the season, leading to a run of eight winless rounds. The one positive in Verona's performance has been their defensive work. They've conceded more than one goal on just two occasions in the last 10 matches, but this doesn't change the factthat their attack rarely shows up.
How the bookies view it: Empoli to sweep the floor with Verona again
Bookmakers expect a strong season finale from the hosts and give them 19/20 to beat Verona. Alternatively, you can pick the underdogs at 33/10, while the draw is available at 11/5.
Recent head to head: The Biancorossi's best match this season
There has been a lot of back-and-forth action between these teams in recent years, with both sides winning a bunch of times. Empoli have the advantage with four wins to three in the last 10 H2Hs. But the most important match was the reverse fixture this season, which went the way of Empoli after a heavy 4-1 trashing.
Players to watch: Fazzini has a bright future
Finding a suitable pick among the players of two of the weakest teams is almost impossible, but one young midfielder does stand out. Jacopo Fazzini missed a couple of months this year with a thigh injury, but his performance since he returned has been phenomenal. The 22-year-old Italian scored three goals and provided one assist in his last five appearances in Serie A.
Probable line-ups
Empoli: Vasquez, Viti, Ismajli, Marianucci, Pezzella, Henderson, Grassi, Gyasi, Fazzini, Cacace, Esposito
Hellas Verona: Montipo, Valentini, Coppola, Ghilardi, Tchatchoua, Duda, Dawidowicz, Bradaric, Serdar, Suslov, Sarr
Anything else catch the eye?
While both sides have generally performed better on the road this season, we believe current form is what matters most and we plan to back Empoli to win and escape the drop once again. The Biancorossi had two stellar performances in the rounds leading to this season finale and scored five goals in the process.
Verona happen to have the second-worst defence in the league, conceding an average of 1.76 goals per match. And Empoli already took care of them once in December (4-1). The Biancorossi should be able to repeat that performance and potentially send Verona to Serie B.
GambleAware