Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Empoli
Match Time & Date:
16/01/2023
20:45
Prediction: 0-1
Sampdoria
Stadio Carlo Castellani will host Friday’s Serie A game between Empoli and Sampdoria. The Azzurri came from two goals behind to share the spoils with Lazio in Rome, with the team remaining in the safe zone. Empoli are eyeing their third consecutive win at home ground, and the bookies see them as slim favourites to beat La Samp. Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro is back from suspension, while Mattia Destro will be assessed ahead of the kick-off. Tonelli and Haas should miss out with injuries.
The visitors, on the other hand, are fighting hard to secure the Serie A survival. Dejan Stankovic’s troops kicked off 2023 with a 2-1 win over Sassuolo, but they failed to upset Napoli in their last league match. Anyhow, away triumph should be considered as Sampdoria want this win more than Empoli. Tomas Rincon is banned for the match, while all Quagliarella, De Luca, Conti, Pussetto, Sabiri, Winks, and Colley are sidelines with injuries.
Highlighted Player (Mattia Destro):
Mattia Destro started his youth career at Ascoli, but in 2005 he moved to Inter. The Italian attacker, though, made his debut in the Serie A with Genoa in the 2010/2011 season. He scored 2 goals in 16 appearances for the Rossoblu and at the end of the season he signed a deal with Siena. Destro netted 12 goals for Siena in 30 league appearances for the club and on 30 July, 2012 he joined fellow Serie A team Roma for a fee of €8.5 million.
The Italian footballer made his debut for the capital club on 2 September, 2012 in a 3-1 victory over Inter. Destro scored 24 goals for Roma between 2012 and 2015 and after ending his loan spell with Milan he joined Bologna on 20 August, 2015.
Speaking of his international career, the Bologna forward has 15 caps for Italy U21 and he made his debut for the senior team on 15 August, 2012 against England at Wembley Stadium. He made Italy’s 2014 provisional FIFA World Cup squad, but he eventually failed to make the final roster.
Highlighted Team (Sampdoria):
Sampdoria is an Italian football club from Genoa which is currently playing in the highest Italian football division: the Serie A. The club colours of Sampdoria are blue and white and is known under the nickname Blucerchiati. Sampdoria host it’s home games in the Stadio Luigi Ferraris which is located in Genua. Interesting detail is that their biggest city rival Genoa is playing their home games in Stadio Luigi Ferraris as well.
In the past Sampdoria was playing in the Serie B and Serie A on and off. After the big successes in the end of the eighties the club became a stable team in the Serie A. Sampdoria managed to win the Scudetto once in 1991, the Coppa Italia 4 times in 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1994 and the Europe Cup II in 1990.
There are a lot of important players in football history that played for Sampdoria such as: Seedorf, Gullit, Mancini, Poli, Vieri, Zenga, Falcone, Karembeu, Vialli, Klinsmann and Veron.
Juventus 
Milan
Nice 
Rennes
Valencia 
Real Madrid 
Tottenham 
Newcastle
Aston Villa
Leicester
Crystal Palace
Chelsea 
