American star Christian Pulisic will hope to continue his strong run of form as AC Milan travel to meet relegation-threatened Empoli on Sunday.
As the calendar turns to 2024, Pulisic stands as the team's second-leading goal scorer across all competitions, with his seven goals behind just the nine from striker Olivier Giroud. He leads Rafael Leao and Luka Jovic in that category, while his five assists are also second on the team, one behind Giroud and level with Leao.
Milan sit third in the Serie A table, needing to close the distance in the title race as Inter and Juventus threaten to pull away. Their cross-town rivals lead the standings on 45 points, two clear of Juve and a massive nine ahead of Milan.
Empoli are in the midst of the drop zone, sitting 19th on 13 points, but have started to show signs of life, securing draws with bottom-half sides Genoa, Lecce, and Cagliari in recent games, and even upsetting Napoli in mid-November. Still, they sport the league's worst attacking output, with just 10 goals through 18 matches.
USA: Click here to see the latest odds for Empoli vs AC Milan and bet Serie A matches
Empoli vs AC Milan prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: AC Milan (-170)
- Score prediction: Empoli 0-2 AC Milan
While AC Milan are prone to attacking duds, they are a hard-working side that do not shy away from grinding out games, even against inferior opponents. Against Empoli, they should have no problems doing just that, and with two clean sheets in their last three league games, Milan are well-positioned to blanket Serie A's worst attacking side, even if it takes some toiling to find their own.
| DraftKings (USA) | |
| Empoli win | +390 |
| Draw | +290 |
| AC Milan win | -170 |
| Both teams to score Y/N | -140 / +105 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals | -140 / +100 |
| AC Milan -0.5 goals | -160 |
| Empoli +0.5 goals | +130 |
Empoli vs AC Milan match facts
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024
- Kickoff Time: 12:30 p.m. local (6:30 a.m. ET / 3:30 a.m. PT)
- Location: Stadio Carlo Castellani (Empoli, Italy)
- Referee: Federico La Penna
- Last meeting: AC Milan 0-0 Empoli (Apr. 7, 2023 | Serie A)
Empoli vs AC Milan best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 goals
- Odds: +100 (DraftKings)
It's quite shocking that the under presents this much value. The betting market is likely expecting Milan to blow Empoli away, but there's no indication of that happening.
While Empoli can't hit the broad side of a barn up front, they also aren't conceding in bunches either, doing well to keep a lid on games. They have conceded over two goals in just four of 18 games to this point, and outside of the 7-0 pasting by Roma back in mid-September (in which Roma scored their seven goals on just 2.49 xG, mind you), they are known for hanging around.
Milan, for their part, aren't exactly adept at blowing teams out either. They are coming off a 4-1 victory over Cagliari in the Coppa Italia, but they have scored over two goals in just four of 18 Serie A games to this point, and they rank seventh in Serie A in shots, hanging their hat on efficiency in front of goal rather than volume. Take the even-money odds here on a game that should be a slog.
Empoli vs AC Milan prop bet
- Pick: AC Milan to win to nil
- Odds: +160 (DraftKings)
Empoli are awful at finishing chances, sure, but they just flat out don't create many opportunities either. They are near the bottom in nearly every attacking category, scoring just 10 goals on 16.79 xG across 18 matches. They have been shut out in three straight league matches, and have scored over one goal in just two games thus far.
In what feels like a very likely outcome, the odds are in favour of this play as Milan hope to keep pace with the Serie A leaders knowing a meeting with Roma looms on the horizon amidst an otherwise soft winter fixture list.
Empoli vs AC Milan live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | — | Paramount+ |
| Canada | — | Fubo Canada |
| UK | TNT Sports 2 | discovery+ |
The entirety of the 2023/24 Serie A season is available to watch in the United States on CBS's streaming service Paramount+, including this match between Empoli and AC Milan.
In Canada, Fubo own the broadcast rights for Serie A matches this season, with all matches streamed live. In the United Kingdom, the match will be televised on TNT Sports 2, with streaming accessible on discovery+.
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