Empoli vs Lazio prediction 22.12.2023

• Competition: Serie A
• Date: Friday, 22nd December 2023
• Kickoff: 17:30 UK / 18:30 CET
• Venue: Stadio Carlo Castellani (Empoli)

Since returning to Serie A, Empoli finished 14th in those two seasons, but without real danger of getting relegated as they finished 11 and 12 points away from the danger zone. Still, this season is not going according to plan since they are currently 18th, with only 12 points from 16 rounds. Still, Empoli is only one point away from the safe zone, but their form doesn't look promising, winning just two points in the previous four games against not-too-great competition.

Last season, Lazio were superb, finishing 2nd in Serie A. Unfortunately for them, Napoli had an amazing season and left them 16 points behind without a real chance of challenging them for the title. This season, they did fine in the Champions League, securing the knockout phase, but struggled in Serie A, where they currently hold 11th place with just 21 points - already six away from the European spots. 

Empoli vs Lazio pick: Under 2.5 goals

With ten scored goals in 16 games (0.63 per game), Empoli are the worst offensive team in the league. Because of that poor offense, 69% of Empoli's games were under 2.5 goals (11 of 16). 

Lazio are in poor form, winning only one point in the last three games and scoring just one goal during that stretch. In recent games, Lazio mostly played low-scoring games and were under 2.5 goals in ten of the previous 11 games in all competitions. 

Since both teams are in poor form, and considering Empoli's goalscoring troubles this season and the fact that Lazio almost exclusively played low-scoring games recently, we think that an under 2.5 goals is the safest choice for this tie.