Roma are targeting their first win of the season as they welcome Empoli to the Stadio Olimpico for a Serie A fixture on Sunday. Both teams played out draws in their opening fixtures but Roma will be keen to get off to a positive start in front of their fans and should claim the upper hand here.
It was not the best start to the campaign for Roma as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Cagliari in their opening fixture. They saw plenty of possession and created a number of chances but lacked the cutting edge in attack.
Given Roma’s performances in the second half of last season, manager Danielle De Rossi will be confident of kicking on soon. The capital club will take some positives from the clean sheet and will be keen to jump-start their campaign with a win in front of their fans.
Empoli are also coming off a draw as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Monza in their opening Serie A fixture. They were second best throughout the encounter and also struggled to make their few chances count.
A worrying thing for manager Roberto D’Aversa will be the lack of cutting edge in attack as they generally struggled to create chances. However, having scored four in the Coppa Italia the week before, Empoli will be looking to channel that performance.
How the bookies view it: Roma heavily fancied
Roma have been installed as overwhelming favourites and are priced at 1/2 by Betfred to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Empoli is valued at 11/2 while Betfred is also offering odds of 16/5 for a draw.
Recent head to head: Upper hand for Roma
Although Empoli claimed a 2-1 home victory in the most recent meeting back in Ma. Roma generally dominate this fixture, the capital club have won the previous nine meetings and claimed a 7-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico last season with Paulo Dybala netting a brace.
Player to watch: Dybala to get off the mark
Dybala was only a second half substitute for Roma last time out and could be handed a start in a bid to bolster the attack. The Argentine forward netted a brace in this fixture last season and is priced at 7/4 with Betfred to find the net once again.
At the other end of the pitch, Roma will be looking to build on their shutout last time out. Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini often partner in central defence and can lead the capital club to another clean sheet at evens with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Dybala came off the bench at Cagliari and could be pushing for a start on Saturday. The manager is likely to keep faith with Artem Dovbyk in attack while Ndicka and Mancini should continue their partnership at the back.
Empoli have plenty of injury problems with the likes of Tyronne Ebuehi and Szymon Zurkowski both sidelined. Lorenzo Colombo and Sebastiano Esposito should continue their attacking partnership while Ardian Ismajli is expected to feature at the back.
Roma: Svilar, Celik, Ndicka, Mancini, Angelino, Le Fee, Cristante, Soule, Pellegrini, Dybala, Dovbyk
Empoli: Vazquez, Viti, Ismaijli, Walukiewicz, Pezzella, Maleh, Henderson, Fazzini, Gyasi, Colombo, Esposito
Anything else catch the eye?
Roma have won to nil in the last two matches against Empoli and could be set for a repeat at 11/8 with Betfred. Having scored seven in the most recent meeting, a -1 handicap could also be considered at 6/4 with Betfred.
The capital club won both halves in the most recent meeting with Empoli and a similar pattern is priced at 11/4 with Betfred.
This Serie A match between Roma and Empoli will be played on Aug 25, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Roma vs Empoli prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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