Betting Tips for Today: Goals could flow as Lazio look for win over struggling Empoli

Lazio will be hoping to take advantage of their Thursday night kick-off at home to Empoli to move into the Champions League spots of Serie A.

Just five points separate Inter in third and Lazio in seventh, but three points for Simone Inzaghi’s men in a rare Thursday match would see them move up to fourth, at least temporarily.

888Sport make the hosts just 8/25 (1.32) to do just that by beating 17th-placed Empoli, who have lost 12 of their 22 league games this term. A win for the visitors is priced at 8/1 (9.0) and the draw is available at 21/5 (5.20).

There is, of course, no value in 8/25 (1.32) but adding the caveat of both teams to score in a home victory makes it a far more appealing 33/20 (2.65).

Lazio have been almost perfect against teams currently ranked below them this season, winning 10 and drawing four of the 14 games they have played against teams eighth or lower in Serie A.

Both teams to score landed on eight of those occasions and of their 11 home games, there has been goals at both ends eight times.

Only Frosinone - the lowest scorers in the division - and Fiorentina have failed to net at the Stadio Olimpico when playing Lazio this term.

Empoli, meanwhile, have struggled badly this season with just four wins to their name and only two points from their last seven outings.

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That has largely been down to their poor defence, though. The 44 goals they have conceded is the joint-most in Serie A and no one has kept fewer than two clean sheets.

Scoring is a different matter and their 27 goals scored only four fewer than Lazio and the most in the bottom half excluding Sassuolo, with Francesco Caputo netting 11 of them.

Giuseppe Iachini’s side have scored against the likes of Juventus, Napoli and AC Milan, and have so far netted in seven of their 10 games away from Stadio Carlo Castellani.

It should be business as usual for Lazio on Thursday night then as they look to stay in the mix for Champions League places, and the 33/20 (2.65) on them winning but conceding could represent good value.

888Sport