Empoli vs Cremonese: Prediction, Betting Tips and Match Preview

Empoli barely avoided the drop last season and looked shaky during their summer preparations. Compared to their visitors, the hosts appear the weaker side. Cremonese, on the other hand, were relegated from Serie A and are now aiming for an immediate return to the top flight. With a squad that stands out in Italy’s second tier and a solid preseason behind them, the visitors are expected to put in a strong showing here as well.

Tactical Analysis: Empoli

Empoli finished the previous Serie B campaign in 15th place, collecting 41 points from 38 matches (goal difference 47:54). In the second round of the Coppa Italia, they were eliminated by Pisa on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time – a result against a side of similar caliber in Serie B. During their summer friendlies, the Tuscans drew with lower‑tier Livorno (1-1) and fellow division side Spezia (1-1), and narrowly beat Virtus Entella (1-0). The home team plays a pragmatic style but struggles to create chances in attack.

Tactical Analysis: Cremonese

Cremonese spent last season in Italy’s top flight, finishing 18th with 34 points in 38 games and dropping back to Serie B. Their preseason and early competitive matches have been confident. In the Coppa Italia, the grigiorossi blanked Sampdoria 2-0 – another Serie B side of comparable strength. In friendlies, they beat Verona (1-0, a Serie A outfit) and Giana Erminio (4-0), while drawing with Cittadella (1-1) and Lumezzane (0-0). The visitors have shown solid defensive organization, keeping clean sheets in their last two matches against strong opponents. Cremonese have retained a high‑quality squad and are ready to challenge for the top spots from the very first round.

Tournament Motivation

At their home ground, Empoli are eager to start the league campaign on a positive note and make amends with their fans after the early Coppa Italia exit. Cremonese, meanwhile, are determined to kick off with an away victory, immediately underlining their ambition to return to Serie A.

Squad Situation

Empoli lost several key players over the summer: central midfielder Tino Anjorin was sold to Torino for €4.5 million, defender Gabriele Guarino left for €3 million, and right midfielder Salvatore Elia moved precisely to Cremonese for €1.5 million. To reinforce the squad, the club signed striker Filippo Distefano from Fiorentina and loaned left midfielder Karim Zedadka from Südtirol. The departure of these leaders has noticeably weakened the Tuscans’ midfield and defense.

Cremonese let go of striker David Okereke and winger Luca Zanimacchia. At the same time, they acquired promising attacking midfielder Tommaso Berti from Cesena for €2.7 million and loaned central defender Felipe Jé from Como. The guests have kept a deep bench and a high level of individual quality.

Prediction and Bet

Main bet: Cremonese to win with a 0 handicap (draw no bet) at odds 1.83 Cremonese have put together a solid summer – they won three of their last five matches. They have preserved the core of their squad and are ready to consistently pick up points from the opening rounds. Empoli try to fight every opponent, but they managed only one victory in their last five games. Against a strong side like Cremonese, the hosts look inferior. We assess the probability of this outcome at 58% (anything above 1.75 is playable).

Total bet: Under 2.5 goals at odds 1.81 Both teams build their play around organized defense, so recent meetings between them have tended to be low‑scoring. Fewer than three goals were scored in four of Empoli’s previous matches, and the same pattern held in Cremonese’s recent games. We do not expect many clear‑cut chances here. The probability of this outcome is estimated at 59% (anything above 1.72 is playable).