Genoa vs Empoli Preview, Prediction, Possible Lineups & Bet Tips

Genoa welcome Empoli in a Serie A vs Serie B Coppa Italia clash on September 25th and you can find our full preview, prediction, possible lineups and betting tips below.

Genoa vs Empoli Preview

Genoa have endured a difficult start to their 2025/26 campaign, failing to win any of their opening five matches in Serie A as pressure continues to grow on Patrick Vieira.

The Serie A side have picked up two points in the league so far, being held by Lecce and Como, while also suffering narrow defeats to Bologna and Juventus.

Suffering such a poor start has seen Genoa drop down to 16th in the table, avoiding a place in the relegation zone by goal difference and fans will be looking to the Coppa Italia for some temporary relief.

Vieira’s side progressed in Italy’s leading cup competition with a 3-0 win over L.R. Vicenza, as Valentin Carboni and Nicolae Stanciu found the target – with Francesco Benassai scoring an own goal for the visitors.

Last season, Genoa were eliminated by Sampdoria in the third round of Coppa Italia, meaning a win on September 25th would be an improvement.

The Genoa manager will need to find some victories from somewhere, as Luciano Spalletti has been linked with a return to Serie A and defeat against a Serie B side could be the final nail in the coffin.

Empoli will be looking to add further pressure onto Patrick Vieira’s shoulders, however the Serie B side have also made a poor start to their league campaign.

After finishing 18th last season, Empoli dropped into Italy’s second division and Guido Pagliuca’s side were expected to earn an instant promotion back into Serie A.

However, despite a 3-1 win over Padova on the opening day, Empoli have failed to meet expectations after picking up one point from their last three league matches.

The Serie B side were beaten 3-1 by Reggiana on MD2, before being held to a 1-1 draw by Spezia and most recently, Empoli were thrashed 4-0 by Pescara.

Interestingly, the defeat to Reggiana came just a matter of days after Empoli beat their Serie B counterparts via a penalty shootout in Coppa Italia.

Genoa vs Empoli Prediction

Empoli currently sit 16th in Serie B after conceding the most goals in the division so far with nine and their record against Genoa will not bring any confidence to supporters on September 25th.

In the last 11 meetings between these two sides, Empoli have failed to pick up a single victory, with Genoa winning five and six ending in a stalemate.

The winner of this clash will go onto face and injury-riddled Atalanta side in the next round, as the fixtures in Coppa Italia continue to increase in difficulty.

Taking that into consideration, alongside Genoa’s league superiority, we expect Patrick Vieira’s side to pick up a much-needed victory at home and progress into the Ro16.

Prediction: Genoa 3-0 Empoli

Genoa vs Empoli Possible Lineups

Genoa: Sommariva; Sabelli, Marcandalli, Otoa, Martin; Thorsby, Malinovskyi; Messias, Stanciu, Gronbaek; Ekuban

Empoli: Perisan; Tosto, Lovato, Guarino; Ebuehi, Ghion, Yepes, Moruzzi; Ilie; Konate, Shpendi

Genoa vs Empoli Betting Tips

Both Teams To Score (No):  -149

Empoli have conceded nine goals in four Serie B matches so far, which means Genoa will have a host of chances to find the target on September 25th.

Pagliuca will have one eye on the upcoming league clash against Carrarese, meaning the Empoli manager may rotate his side and drop top score, Brogdan Popov – who has scored four goals in four league matches.

Genoa have conceded four goals in four Serie A matches so far, but did keep a clean sheet in their last Coppa Italia clash, so we expect Vieira’s side to host a shut-out against Empoli.

Genoa vs Empoli Odds