Napoli vs Empoli
Napoli are slowly drifting away from Inter Milan at the top of the Serie A table. Antonio Conte’s side remain second in the Italian top-flight standings with 65 points. But, despite being only three points adrift from the Nerazzurri, the Partenopei are performing below their usual levels.
They would’ve reclaimed the top spot if they hadn’t shared the spoils with Bologna in a 1-1 draw last Monday. Napoli were in the driver’s seat for much of the night until Dan Ndoye scored the equaliser four minutes after the hour mark.
Napoli aim to bounce back when Empoli visit the Diego Maradona Stadium on Monday, but they have no room for complacency since the visitors are fighting for their Italian top-flight lives. Roberto D’Aversa’s side is 18th in the table with 24 points. Empoli are coming off back-to-back draws against Como (1-1) and Cagliari (0-0).
Talking Points
Key absentees for Napoli
Napoli will have to grind out a positive result this weekend despite not having several key players. According to local reports, Antonio Conte could miss up to six players due to injuries and suspensions.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who scored against Bologna and is one of the team’s leading scorers with six league goals, will have to sit this out due to suspension for too many yellow cards. He joins Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the sidelines for the same reason.
Alessandro Buongiorno (adductor) is out for at least two weeks, which is a blow to their backline since he’s one of their top defenders. The 25-year-old centre-back returned to action at the end of January after a long layoff caused by his back injury.
Alex Meret, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Scott McTominay are doubtful for the Empoli game. Simone Scuffet, Rafa Marin, Billy Gilmour, and Philip Billing are expected to get more playing time.
Either way, the Partenopei will rely heavily on the goalscoring exploits of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker, last scoring in their 2-1 win against AC Milan, leads Napoli with 11 league goals and eight assists, and he’ll join David Neres and Matteo Politano up front.
Injury crisis for Empoli
Empoli head coach Roberto D’Aversa is in a difficult position. His team is down 3-0 in their Coppa Italia semi-final tie against Bologna, and he has new players added to their injury list. Christian Kouame, Youssef Maleh, and Szymon Zurkowski recently had knee surgeries, joining Pietro Pellegri, Ardian Ismajli, Marco Silvestri, and Saba Sazonov for long spells on the sidelines.
Like Napoli, Empoli will rely heavily on their big guns this weekend. Sebastiano Esposito and Lorenzo Colombo lead the team in scoring with eight and five league goals. Giuseppe Pezzella and Tino Anjorin are Empoli’s joint-top playmakers with three assists this year.
The Tuscans haven’t won a Serie A match since a 4-1 victory over Venezia last December because they’ve been porous at the back. Last week’s goalless draw against Cagliari was their first clean sheet since November.
History
Napoli and Empoli have identical records in their last 20 Serie A encounters, with each team recording eight wins and four draws, though the previous draw they had was a 2-2 result in September 2015. Napoli won 1-0 in their reverse fixture at the Carlo Castellani Stadium last October, as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia converted the marginal penalty three minutes after the hour mark.
Empoli have won two of their last three Serie A games against Napoli at the Diego Maradona Stadium (L1) after winning just one of their previous eight such games (D1, L6).
Napoli have conceded exactly one goal in their last five home league matches after conceding only six goals in their last 10 league matches at the Diego Maradona Stadium this season, keeping six clean sheets.
Betting Tip
The Serie A 2025 odds back Napoli to breeze past Empoli on Monday. Napoli are 1.31 favourites to win, whereas Empoli are massive 8.00 underdogs, and a draw is at 4.65 in the 1X2 market. These two teams must bring their A-game because of the high stakes involved.
A Napoli victory may be too apparent, so we’re going for a low-scoring game for better value since we don’t expect many Serie A 2025 highlights from this contest. Besides our recommended bet, SBOTOP bettors can also go for Under 2.75 at 1.70, Under 2.50 at 1.95, and even Total Goal 0-1 at 3.25. Moreover, a Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of the Partenopei – the result of the reverse fixture – can give you a decent payday of 5.50 your bet.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
