Empoli take on the visitors Bologna in the round 29 match of Italian Serie A. The match will be played on Friday, February 15th at Stadio Carlo Castellani (Empoli).
Empoli predictably improved after a change in coach. The Blues are not among the top clubs. More accurately, their ambitions usually do not go beyond mere survival. And that's how it was in previous seasons. But this time, Azzurri found themselves in the relegation zone, and not much was helping... Until they took a step that even blatantly ineffective underdogs like Salernitana had taken: they called Davide Nicola. He doesn't fare well under normal circumstances, but when it's necessary to rescue an underdog in a hopeless situation, he's not just a firefighter but a true magician. Here, arriving in mid-spring, the specialist immediately defeated Monza 3-0, after which he didn't lose three more times. Although March started with a 0-1 home loss to a potential competitor, Cagliari. And then they repeated the same scoreline against Milan, although that was more than expected.
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Bologna, despite their glorious history and considerable popularity, have long been perceived as a mid-table Serie A team. Mikhailovich kept them at this level, and the decision to replace the already terminally ill Sinisa in the fall of the year before last with Thiago Motta and his limited coaching experience was met with caution. But the Italian Brazilian started well, providing progress in both play and results for his new charges. However, it turned out that he was just warming up, and the red and blues seriously hit their stride in the new campaign, breaking into the quartet of Serie A leaders and even knocking Inter out of the cup with an away victory in extra time. Winter, however, saw a downturn. The team was eliminated from the cup, losing to Fiorentina on penalties, and went through a tough stretch in Serie A. But a new, winning streak began in February, including victories over Fiorentina, Lazio, and Atalanta - this allowed them to confidently return to the quartet of leaders. However, the encounter with Inter ended quite predictably with a 0-1 defeat.
Returning to Serie A in 2021, The Blues have collected 10 out of 12 possible points in the previous two seasons. But this season, The Red and Blues thrashed them at home 3-0 in October. The hosts seem to have lost momentum from the coaching reshuffle, and their tournament situation clearly does not squeeze them as much. The visitors, on the other hand, are on a high, so let's bet that Thiago Motta's charges will win here.
Prediction for the match: Bologna to win.
