Empoli will entertain 18th-placed Cremonese at the Stadio Carlo Castellani as the Serie A returns to action on Friday.

Empoli will come into this game with two wins from their last five games. Despite the round of difficult fixtures that they have had prior to this game, they have been able to hold their own. The reward for their performances has seen their points tally add up to 14. Going into this game, Empoli remain undefeated in their last three meetings against their northern rivals, recording a 1-0 victory when they last met in the 2020-2021 campaign in Serie B. Of the 27 times the two teams have squared off across all competitions, Empoli have the upper hand, as they have the lead in these fixtures.

Cremonese on the other hand are in the relegation zone with a quarter of the season gone already and have only managed to secure 7 points all season, which is half of what their hosts have. Cremonese have suffered a terrible start in their return to the italian top flight and are yet to pick up a win this season. They remain the only team in Serie A without a win to their name this season. On the defense, Cremonese have been horrendous and have seen their lines breached a total of 24 times, making them the third worse defense in the league.

Looking at key numbers going into this game has shown that Empoli have the upper hand in this fixture with results dating back to 2018. Empoli have own 2 of the meetings as opposed to their visitor's 1. Cremonese are winless in their travels this season and have drawn their last four away games. They have scored in six of their seven away games. Cremonese are also winless at the Stadio Carlo Castellan since 1949.

Gli Azzurri have picked up two of their three wins this season at home and will be confident of a positive result here. They are undefeated at home against the visitors for more than 70 years, so a defeat for them seems unlikely. We are backing the hosts, Empoli to come out of this game with all three points.