The Serie A Matchday 37 encounter between Monza and Empoli will take place on May 18 at the U-Power Stadium. Monza vs. Empoli: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Monza
Alessandro Nesta's side managed to defeat Udinese away (2-1) in the previous round. As a result, Monza ended their 15-match winless streak in the league (2 draws, 13 losses). Moreover, the team scored for the first time in five Serie A matches. However, their position in the standings remains unchanged – they are at the bottom, with no chance of moving up. Notably, Monza is the worst team in terms of points earned at home this season (8).
- The team has not won in their last seven home matches in Serie A (2 draws, 5 losses).
- The club conceded exactly one or two goals in 18 of their last 21 home league matches.
- Monza players have scored a maximum of one goal in their last seven home Serie A games.
Predicted lineup for Monza (3-5-2)
Samuel Pizzignacchio – Pedro Pereira, Arvid Brorsson, Andrea Carboni – Samuele Birindelli, Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro, Alessandro Bianco, Gaetano Castrovilli, Georgios Kyriakopoulos – Gianluca Caprari, Omari Forson.
Defenders Armando Izzo and Luca Caldirola, along with forwards Gianluca Caprari and Dany Mota, will miss the game due to injuries. Defender Pedro Pereira is suspended.
Empoli
In the previous round, Roberto D'Aversa's side defeated Parma at home (2-1). Consequently, Empoli ended their winless streak in the league, which lasted 20 matches (6 draws, 14 losses). However, the team once again failed to keep a clean sheet – they have conceded in 23 of their last 24 Serie A matches. In the standings, Empoli has 28 points and sits in second-to-last place, but they are only one point behind the safety of 17th place. Notably, only Monza (36) has conceded more away goals than Empoli (32) in the current season.
- The club has not won in their last ten away Serie A matches (3 draws, 7 losses).
- Both opponents scored in 8 of Empoli's last 11 away league games.
- Exactly two or three goals were scored in 5 of Empoli's last 6 away Serie A matches.
Predicted lineup for Empoli (3-4-3)
Devis Vasquez – Luca Marianucci, Mattia Viti, Ardian Ismajli – Emmanuel Gyasi, Liam Henderson, Alberto Grassi, Giuseppe Pezzella – Jacopo Fazzini, Sebastiano Esposito, Liberato Cacace.
Midfielders Nicolas Haas and Youssef Maleh, along with forward Christian Kouame, will not play due to injuries.
Referee
Livio Marinelli (Italy)
Matches – 14 (Serie A, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 45;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.2;
Red cards shown – 3;
Average fouls per match – 24;
Penalties – 29%.
Monza vs. Empoli: Match Prediction
This will be a clash between two teams that have not been prolific in front of goal this season: only Lecce (25) has scored fewer goals in the current campaign than Monza (27) and Empoli (29). Moreover, home support has rarely helped Monza make a significant impact in attack: over their last seven home Serie A matches, the team has only scored twice.
Empoli, in away games, prefers to play defensively and focuses on a solid backline. As a result, the club spends little time attacking and creates few scoring opportunities: in their last nine away league matches, Roberto D'Aversa's side has never scored more than one goal, and in three instances, they failed to score at all.
I do not expect this to be a high-scoring encounter, so my prediction: Total under 2.5 goals
