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Lazio will be aiming to kick-off the new year on a winning note when they welcome Empoli to the Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.
The visitors saw their six-game unbeaten run come to an end at the hands of AC Milan last time out and will be looking to quickly find their feet.
Lazio made it two wins from two in Serie A for just the second time this season as they comfortably saw off Venezia 3-1 last time out.
This followed a similar 3-1 victory over Genoa which saw their run of two games without a win come to an end.
With 31 points from 19 games, Lazio are currently eighth in the Serie A table, one point behind AS Roma in the Conference League qualification spot.
Meanwhile, Empoli will be delighted by their performance in the first half of the season as they sit four points behind Lazio in ninth place.
However, they head into Thursday’s game off the back of a 4-2 defeat at the hands of AC Milan last time out.
Prior to that, Empoli were on an impressive six-game unbeaten run, claiming four wins and two draws.
Lazio vs Empoli Head-To-Head
Lazio have been utterly dominant in the history of this fixture, claiming 14 wins from the last 21 meetings between the sides. Empoli have managed just three wins in that time, while four games have ended all square. Lazio are currently on a six-game winning streak against Empoli.
Lazio Form Guide: W-D-L-W-W
Empoli Form Guide: W-W-W-D-L
Lazio vs Empoli Team News
Lazio
Lazio will take to the pitch without the services of Bobby Adekanye and Elseid Hysaj, who have been sidelined through injuries.
Injured: Bobby Adekanye, Elseid Hysaj
Suspended: None
Empoli
The visitors will have to make do with the absence of Nicolas Haas, Samuele Damiani and Ardian Ismajli, who have been ruled out through injuries.
Injured: Nicolas Haas, Samuele Damiani, Ardian Ismajli
Suspended: None
Lazio vs Empoli Predicted XI
Lazio Predicted XI (4-3-3): Pepe Reina; Adam Marušić, Francesco Acerbi, Luiz Felipe, Manuel Lazzari; Danilo Cataldi, Toma Basic, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Mattia Zaccagni, Pedro
Empoli Predicted XI (4-3-3): Guglielmo Vicario; Fabiano Parisi, Sebastiano Luperto, Simone Romagnoli, Petar Stojanovic; Szymon Zurkowski, Liam Henderson, Samuele Ricci; Nedim Bajrami, Andrea Pinamonti, Patrick Cutrone
Lazio vs Empoli Prediction
Both sides are currently separated by four points and one place in the league table, and this makes for an exciting contest on Thursday.
Empoli have enjoyed a solid campaign so far, but we are tipping Lazio to extend their dominance in this fixture and come away with the win.
Prediction: Lazio 3-1 Empoli
