Internazionale hope to close the gap between league leaders Napoli with a home win this Sunday against Empoli. Inter are enjoying a strong run of form across multiple competitions. However, the club suffered a blip in the Supercoppa when they succumbed to a 3-2 defeat despite taking a 2-0 lead in the second half. Continue reading to access an expert Inter Milan prediction and explore tips and stats for Inter vs Empoli betting.
- Serie A
- Inter Milan vs Empoli FC
- January 19, 2025
- 2:45 PM EST
- Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan, Italy
- Paramount+
Inter vs Empoli Betting Odds
Inter are naturally prohibitive favorites in this clash at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza. I Nerazzurri are (-460) to win at home. The visitors have 11:1 odds to pull off the upset. A draw is lined at (+550). The total line is at even 3 goals.
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Inter Knocking on the Door for Another Scudetto
The Serie A title race is the most intriguing out of all the European top leagues at the moment. Napoli is in the lead with 47 points, while Inter is right behind at 44 points with a game to spare. A win against Empoli would see Inter Milan leapfrog the Blues into the coveted title position.
Inter set a record with 6 consecutive away clean sheets, becoming the first Italian club to do so. That came in their 1-0 victory over Venezia last weekend. This week saw Inter share the spoils with Bologna in a thoroughly entertaining match in Milan. Both sides scored multiple goals, splitting their work across both sides of halftime.
As always, the new year brings with it its fair share of transfer rumors, and Inter are no exception to the tradition. Internazionale’s Davide Frattesi was left on the bench by Simone Inzaghi on Wednesday with speculation swirling regarding his future with the club. The midfielder has been linked with Roma after seeing little playing time. His absence in the starting lineup, despite the unavailability of Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, raised suspicions.
But Inzaghi stated the decision was merely based on fitness, as Frattesi is dealing with some “lingering physical issues.”
Is Empoli a Better Team Away Than at Home?
Winless in their last five games, Empoli are in a freefall down the Serie A table. Its one result in that span came as a draw to Venezia on the road. The Azzurri have not scored multiple goals at home all season. However, they have scored in every away game except for their trip to San Siro against Milan. That makes it 15 goals to 4 goals on away/home splits, a remarkable number in soccer.
Likely this mostly has to do with luck, but clearly the club is not intimidated by hostile atmospheres. Their visit to Stadio Giuseppe Meazza will be their first action in eight days. That will be a stark contrast to their busy hosts. Inter traveled to Saudi Arabia during the holiday break for the Supercoppa Italiana before playing Venezia last weekend and Bologna this midweek.
A 3-1 defeat to Lecce at Stadio Carlo Castellani for Empoli precedes this northern Italian clash. The two sides are now even on points, giving Lecce’s win extra importance as the current tiebreaker for 13th on the table. Besides pressure to improve their home form from their supporters, Empoli is also under attack from many clubs hoping to poach players off them. Lazio and Napoli have already made unsuccessful moves to acquire Jacopo Fazzini from the Azzurri.
Saba Goglichidze and Faustino Anjorin are the next players potentially on their way out. Italian media speculate offers for the two will arrive in the coming weeks. But that is not all: Lorenzo Colombo and Devis Vasquez have also appeared in the rumor mill as the transfer window nears a close. It appears Anjorin and Vasquez are the two players Empoli wouldn’t mind leaving, so long as they return in the form of a loan deal at the end of this season.
Inter vs Empoli Betting Pick: Free Inter Milan Prediction
Inter are knocking on Napoli’s door in the title race and will be salivating at the chance to take 3 points here at home against Empoli. Simone Inzaghi has the club in fine form across both domestic and continental competitions. After narrowly missing out on the Supercoppa, Inter will be hoping to ensure they earn silverware in some capacity in 2025.
Empoli’s form away from home is much better than many would initially think. They have earned the bulk of their points on their travels and a lion’s share of their offensive production. Meanwhile, Inter, perennially considered one of the top defensive clubs in the world, are actually experiencing a bit of a downturn at the back. According to my ratings based on expected goals, Inter’s home defense is actually worse than that of Napoli, Juventus, Milan, and Bologna.
Inter conceded multiple goals to Bologna this midweek and will be playing on just four days’ rest. Looking at the prices of Empoli to score, Bovada is hanging a line of (+110) on the visitor’s to bulge their opponent’s net. My projections imply the team total should be priced at (-171), indicating a significant amount of value on the hosts. I would temper expectations a bit considering the away run of form is likely to see some regression, but this is still the clear bet to make.
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