Empoli (home)
- Empoli have 28 points from 23 games to sit in mid-table in Serie B.
- Empoli have one win, one draw and three losses in their last five matches.
- Guido Pagliuca is still working on his team’s identity after a summer rebuild and is trying to implement an energetic, possession-based style of soccer with fullback overlaps and high tempo pressing.
Reggiana (away)
- Reggiana have 21 points and hover near the relegation zone.
- AC Reggiana are a more straightforward proposition as Davide Dionigi is focused on work rate, compactness and transitions.
- The three at the back system allows them to press high up the field in a controlled way and get numbers back quickly after turnovers.
Head-to-Head
- Empoli and Reggiana have split their two meetings to date this season.
- Reggiana won 3-1 in Serie B.
Empoli
- Stiven Shpendi leads Empoli’s goal charts with six goals in Serie B but has been isolated and ineffective in recent weeks.
- The hosts are looking for a secondary finisher and Bohdan Popov is Empoli’s second-leading scorer.
- Salvatore Elia and Rares Ilie provide energy and creativity from wide positions.
Reggiana
- Manolo Portanova is Reggiana’s main goal threat and plays an important role in the second half of games when the Granata look to push on.
- Cedric Gondo offers some creativity from midfield and forwards like Nikola Novakovich and Ibrahim Tavşan have moments of quality, particularly on set pieces.
Betting Insights
- Empoli are the slight favourites at 1.99, with the draw at 3.3 and Reggiana 3.8.
- A Reggiana win or draw is a distinct possibility if Empoli fail to unlock the away team’s compact defense and Portanova and Gondo create a goal from nowhere on a counter attack.
- Our selection is under 2.5 goals as neither team has been prolific in front of goal.
Prediction
A narrow 2-1 victory for the host side looks a good option in exact score markets.
