Roma go in search of their first win of the season as they welcome Empoli to the San Siro for a Serie A fixture on Sunday. The capital club face an Empoli side without a win or a goal so far and will fancy their chances of finally getting off the mark.
It has been a rough start to the season for Roma, who are yet to secure a win so far. Having kicked things off with a 2-2 draw with Fiorentina, Jose Mourinho’s men have gone on to lose their last two matches, leaving them in the bottom three with just one point.
Roma are coming off a 2-1 home defeat to AC Milan in their previous Serie A fixture. They attempted a late fightback after going two goals down but could only manage an injury time consolation from Leonardo Spinazzola.
The good news for Roma is that it is still early days in the season and there is plenty of time to turn things around. The likes of Houssem Aouar and Romelu Lukaku are expected to find their rhythm soon and can spark a turnaround for the capital club.
Things may be rough for Roma at the moment but Empoli have made an even worse start to the campaign. They are currently bottom of the standings having lost all three of their matches so far, failing to score a single goal in that run.
Empoli travel to the capital club off the back of a 2-0 home defeat to Juventus in their Serie A fixture prior to the international break. Despite playing at home, they proved to be no match for the Turin club and failed to muster a single attempt on target.
There are similarities between Empoli’s start to this season and their showings in the opening weeks of last term when they claimed just one win in their first 13 matches. Paolo Zanetti’s men are also now winless in their last 10 away matches in Serie A, a run stretching back to last season.
How the bookies view it
Roma are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 9/20 by 10bet. An unlikely victory for Empoli is valued at 15/2 by Unibet while bet365 is offering odds of 7/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Roma have a dominant record in this fixture and have won the last seven matches against Empoli. The capital club did the double last season, claiming a 2-1 victory in the first meeting before winning 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in February.
Players to watch
Romelu Lukaku is likely to be handed his first start for Roma following a summer loan move from Chelsea. The Belgian striker is coming off a fine outing in the international break and could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 13/8 with William Hill.
Given Empoli’s problems in attack, Roma will be targeting a shutout on Sunday. Chris Smalling and Diego Llorente are likely to continue in central defence and can lead the capital club to a clean sheet at 10/11 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Roma won to nil in the last meeting between both teams and given Empoli’s attacking problems, a similar outcome could be on the cards at 5/4 with BetVictor. Having earned a 2-0 win in that fixture, a -1 handicap could also be considered at 5/4 with bet365.
The capital club have scored in both halves in three of the last four meetings with Empoli and Sunday’s clash can be set to follow a similar pattern at 11/8 with BoyleSports.
This Serie A match between Roma and Empoli will be played on Sep 17, 2023 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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