Bologna v Empoli Prediction & Betting Tips

Thursday | 19:00 UTC | Stadio Renato Dall’Ara | Coppa Italia

Bologna have one foot in the Coppa Italia final and return home to Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Thursday night looking to finish the job against Empoli. With a commanding 3-0 lead from the first leg, I expect Vincenzo Italiano’s side to comfortably see this one through.

Bologna in Total Control

Bologna are flying right now. They come into this second leg off the back of a 1-0 home win against Inter Milan- a result that underlined just how strong they are at both ends of the pitch. That victory made it 7 wins in their last 9 matches across all competitions, with just one defeat during that stretch.

Their Coppa Italia campaign has been especially dominant. They’ve yet to concede a goal in the tournament and have scored first in every game. They also won the first half in 2 of their 3 ties so far, which bodes well for a repeat on Thursday.

Empoli Look Out of Their Depth

Empoli are clinging on after a 2-2 draw with Venezia last time out in the league. That stalemate extended their winless run in regulation time to 20 games- 13 of those ending in defeat. Roberto D’Aversa’s side have been blunt in front of goal, failing to score in 3 of their last 4.

It gets worse on the road. They’ve lost 6 of their last 9 away from home and haven’t picked up a single win on their travels during that run. It’s hard to see how they’ll mount any sort of comeback in this one.

How the Bookies See It

Bologna are heavy favourites, priced at 1.45 to win on the night. Empoli are out at 7.20, while the draw is available at 4.20. A Bologna win to nil looks strong value at 2.20, considering they haven’t conceded in the competition yet.

Head-to-Head: Momentum With the Hosts

These two sides are evenly matched on paper over 23 past meetings, each with 7 wins and 9 draws. But recent form tells a different story- Bologna are unbeaten in their last 5 meetings with Empoli and cruised to a 3-0 win in the first leg.

Players to Watch

Riccardo Orsolini is Bologna’s top scorer with 14 goals this season and he’s already found the net in this tie. He’s 2.55 to score again and should lead the line alongside Santiago Castro. At the back, Sam Beukema continues to anchor a back four that’s kept 4 clean sheets in their last 6 outings.

Predicted Lineups

Bologna: Ravaglia; De Silvestri, Beukema, Lucumi, Lykogiannis; Moro, Pobega; Orsolini, Fabbian, Cambiaghi; Castro
Empoli: Seghetti; De Sciglio, Marianucci, Tosto; Gyasi, Henderson, Kovalenko, Pezzella, Solbakken, Fazzini; Colombo