The schedule for Round 34 of Serie A features, on Sunday, April 27, the Tuscan Derby between Fiorentina and Empoli—two teams in need of points to achieve their seasonal goals. Palladino's side, after a rough patch between early February and early March, has shifted gears, putting together a string of positive results that have reignited their Europa League hopes and earned them a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League semifinals, scheduled for Thursday against Real Betis. La Viola is coming off a solid 2-1 away win against Cagliari in their rescheduled Round 33 fixture, achieved even without their star striker Moise Kean, who had to leave Italy for personal reasons. The Italian forward—currently second in the Serie A top scorers chart—is doubtful for the derby as well, but Palladino can still count on Lucas Beltrán, who ended his scoring drought in Cagliari. In contrast, it's been a tough stretch for Empoli, who this week were eliminated from the Coppa Italia after losing the second leg of their semifinal 2-1 in Bologna. Coach D'Aversa fielded a rotated squad at the Dall’Ara, underlining that survival in Serie A remains the clear priority. Snatching points from the Artemio Franchi Stadium, however, won’t be easy—Empoli hasn’t won a league match in over four months. That said, Tuscan Derbies have often delivered surprises, and historically, Empoli has enjoyed the upper hand. We can expect a closely contested match that could reveal a lot about both teams' real chances of meeting their end-of-season targets.

Fiorentina's Recent Form & Key Stats

Fiorentina are unbeaten in their last 8 matches across all competitions, with 5 wins and 3 draws. In their most recent Serie A outing, on Wednesday, April 23, they pulled off a comeback 1-2 victory over Cagliari, thanks to goals from Gosens and Beltrán after conceding early to Piccoli. The win, coupled with Juventus' loss in Parma, moved them closer to fifth place.

At home, Fiorentina have been solid, going six games unbeaten with 4 wins (including high-profile ones against Juventus and Fiorentina) and 2 draws, most recently a frustrating 0-0 with Parma. They've collected 34 of their 56 points at home, with a record of 10 wins and 4 draws, averaging 1.58 goals scored and 0.88 conceded per game at the Franchi.

Empoli's Recent Form & Key Stats

Following a 2-2 draw with Venezia last weekend and a 2-1 defeat to Bologna in the Coppa Italia semifinal, Empoli's winless streak has reached 21 matches across all competitions. With only 5 games remaining, the Tuscans have 25 points, just one behind the safety zone.

Interestingly, Empoli performs better away from home: they've earned 15 of their 25 points on the road with 3 wins, 6 draws, and 8 losses. However, they are also one of the worst defenses in away games, conceding 30 goals (1.76 per match), second only to Monza (33).

Fiorentina vs Empoli Prediction & Tactical Overview

This will be the third meeting between Fiorentina and Empoli this season, with both previous encounters ending in draws: a 0-0 in the league and a 2-2 in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, where Empoli advanced on penalties.

Their last five head-to-heads have been closely contested, with 4 draws and a surprise 0-2 win for Empoli at the Artemio Franchi in the 2023/24 season.

Looking ahead to this Serie A Round 34 clash, Fiorentina has often struggled this season when facing mid-to-lower table teams—situations where they're expected to dominate possession. This was evident in their recent 0-0 draw vs Parma, as well as home losses to Como and Udinese.

Empoli, meanwhile, will be desperate for points to keep their survival hopes alive. If the game remains tied late on, they may take more risks going forward—potentially leaving space for Fiorentina to strike on the counter.

Despite the possible absence of Kean and the looming Conference League semifinal distraction, Fiorentina look well-positioned to take a crucial three points in their European push.

For these reasons, the BetMines Algorithm prediction for Fiorentina vs Empoli sees the hosts widely favoured to win. 

• The BetMines Algorithm prediction for Fiorentina vs Empoli predicts the sign 1 at 63%
• The BetMines Algorithm prediction for Fiorentina vs Empoli predicts the sign X at 21%
• The BetMines Algorithm prediction for Fiorentina vs Empoli predicts the sign 2 at 15%

Fiorentina vs Empoli Predicted Lineups

Fiorentina (3-5-2): De Gea; Pongracic, Marí, Ranieri; Folorunsho, Mandragora, Cataldi, Fagioli, Gosens; Beltran, Gudmundsson. Coach: Palladino

Empoli (3-4-2-1): Vasquez; Goglichidze, Marianucci, Viti; Gyasi, Grassi, Anjorin, Pezzella; Esposito, Fazzini; Colombo. Coach: D'Aversa