Fresh from their Europa League disappointment, Juventus return to Serie A action with a Monday night clash at Empoli. Having already secured their safety for the season, Empoli have little to play for and this could give a motivated Juventus the upper hand.
Empoli are already safe for the season and sit in 14th, nine points above the relegation zone. There are 10 points between them and 10th place Torino, which means a finish in the top half is out of reach, leaving them with very little to play for in the final weeks.
Things have been a bit erratic for Empoli in recent weeks as they have claimed just three wins from their last 15 Serie A matches. However, Paolo Zanetti’s men are unbeaten in the last three games in that run and played out a 1-1 draw at Sampdoria in their previous fixture.
The Stadio Carlo Castellani played a pivotal role in Empoli’s survival and they have won three of their last five home matches. However, all three wins were against teams in the bottom as they have been beaten by the likes of Roma, Inter Milan and Napoli, all of whom are battling near the top end of the table.
Juventus will head into Monday’s clash all hurt and disappointed after falling in the semi-final of the Europa League. They suffered a 2-1 extra-time defeat in the second leg at Sevilla last Thursday after being held to a 1-1 draw at hike in the first meeting.
The silver lining in this is that Juventus can now concentrate on the top for race in Serie A as they are only one win away from securing a return to the Champions League next season. They have shown some good form in recent weeks, winning their last three Serie A matches, including a 2-0 victory over Cremonense in their previous fixture.
A slight problem for Juventus is that they have looked erratic away from home, struggling to find consistency on their travels. However, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have still won eight of their last 13 Serie A matches on the road, keeping clean sheets in all three wins.
How the bookies view it
Juventus have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 11/10 by William Hill to claim the win. A victory for Empoli is valued at 9/2 by bet365 while Paddy Power is offering odds of 14/5 for a draw.
Head to head
Juventus have a 19-3 advantage with three draws from 25 previous matches against Empoli. The Turin club has also won six of the last seven meetings and triumphed 4-0 in the reverse fixture back in October.
Players to watch
Dusan Vlahovic has picked up his form as the season winds down, scoring in three of his last five matches across all competitions. The striker also has 10 Serie A goals this season and is priced at 13/8 by William Hill to find the net on Monday.
Juventus have been solid at the back lately, keeping eight clean sheets in their last 13 away matches in Serie A. Gleison Bremer has been pivotal at the heart of the Turin club’s defence and can lead them to another clean sheet at 4/7 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Juventus have won to nil in eight of their last 13 away matches in Serie A and a repeat could be on the cards at 15/8 by BetVictor. Given the one-sided result in the reverse fixture, a -1 handicap could also be considered at 19/10 with BetVictor.
The Turin club have also scored in both halves in the last two meetings with Empoli and Monday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 7/4 with BoyleSports.
This Serie A match between Empoli and Juventus will be played on May 22, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Empoli vs Juventus prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
