Empoli will take on Lazio in Serie A on Sunday, 4 May, in a match that will have ramifications at both ends of the league table.
The hosts come into the patch staring relegation in the face and are currently two points from safety with just four games to play.
Lazio, meanwhile, are still pushing hard for a place inside the top four and a place in the Champions League next season.
How the bookies view it: Lazio start as favourites
Lazio come into the match as the favourites to win it with the bookies, which isn't a huge surprise given they have accumulated 35 more points than Empoli this season. BoyleSports have priced a Lazio win at 3/4 while a win for Empoli has been priced at 16/5. The draw, which wouldn't be a good result for either side, has been priced at 5/2.
Head to head: Advantage Lazio
Lazio's price of 3/4 looks like it might be on the long side when you consider they are unbeaten across their last 12 matches with Empoli (ten wins, two draws). Empoli's last win in this fixture came back in November 2015 when they downed Lazio 1-0 on home turf. A repeat of that result here could see Empoli lift themselves out of the relegation zone.
Players to watch: Can Taty fire Lazio into the Champions League?
It wasn't long ago that Lazio were being tipped as the favourites to win the Europa League, but their shock exit to Bodo/Glimt in the quarter-finals means they now finish inside the top four in Serie A if they are to play in Europe's premier competition next season.
One man who will be more keen than most to play in the Champions League is Taty Castellanos. The former Girona man failed to score a single goal in the Champions League when Lazio were in the competition last season, so he will be desperate for another crack at it to prove himself.
In his defence, that was Castellanos' first season in Rome, and he has looked far more assured across all competitions this season. In the league, he has netted ten goals, while across all competitions, he is on 16. It will be a tough ask to break the 20-goal barrier from here, but he has scored twice in his last three outings, so we won't rule it out.
Predicted line-ups
Lazio will welcome Reda Belahyane back into the squad after his one-match ban, but they remain without Nuno Tavares and Patric, with the two defenders both out injured. Empoli don't have any injury concerns, but they are without Alberto Grassi and Liam Henderson due to suspensions.
Empoli: Vazquez – Goglichidze, Ismajli, Viti – Gyasi, Kovalenko, Anjorin, Pezzella – Fazzini, Cacace – Esposito
Lazio: Mandas – Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini – Guendouzi, Rovella – Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni – Castellanos
Anything else catch the eye?
Although Empoli's results haven't improved in recent weeks, they have at least been finding the back of the net regularly (four goals in their last three matches). Lazio are usually good for a goal or two, too, which makes the both teams to score price of 5/6 very appealing.
This Serie A match between Empoli and Lazio will be played on and kick off at 11:30. Check below for our tipsters best Empoli vs Lazio prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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