Four games come from the Serie A on Saturday, part of a weekend that sees games spread from Friday to Monday. Two kick off at the same time to get us started, and this is one of them, as Empoli, currently in the relegation zone, host Genoa, a team currently in mid table and on a nice unbeaten run.
Empoli Form GuideHeading into the weekend, Empoli have 17 points on the board, that's only enough for 19th in the standings, putting them in the relegation zone. The good news is they're just one point away from safety, and are only four points away from 14th, showing there's a lot of teams involved down there, and a couple of good results can make all the difference.
Continuing with the positives and Empoli have two positive results from their last two games. A draw last weekend came away at Juventus, currently 2nd in the league, and before that, a 3-0 home win over mid table Monza, so things are improving, but of course, more is needed.
Genoa Form GuideUp in 11th position, Genoa are going along nicely this season, though the purpose of this season isn't really anything other than to remain in the same place, as they're not good enough to get involved higher up the table, and are too far away from trouble at the bottom to worry about it.
Recent form has been excellent, they come here seven games unbeaten. They've won three of those and drawn four, but two of those three wins have come in their last two games, both against sides towards the bottom of the table like Empoli. Most recently, they won 2-1 at home to Lecce last weekend.
Match PredictionI respect the recent turn that Empoli have made, but it's hard to ignore the run Genoa are on at the moment, seven unbeaten with some wins and some draws against the top teams in Italy. I think this will be close, but I give the slight edge to Genoa and they are my pick for the win.
