Sampdoria will be determined to register their second back-to-back win of the season when they hit the road for their round 28 encounter against bottom placed Hellas Verona.
Last week’s 2-0 win over Frosinone was the Blucerchiati’s first win in nine Serie A matches, in a run where they previously suffered six defeats.
However, consecutive victories would provide the opportunity to well and truly distance themselves from the relegation zone, as coach Vincenzo Montella looks to build momentum and confidence within his struggling team.
Verona welcome the visitors following a 2-0 loss to Udinese, however will be somewhat satisfied with their February efforts, where they earned first two Serie A victories of the season against Atalanta and Chievo.
However, as Verona remain rooted to the bottom of the table, a daunting nine points from safety, survival looks a near impossible outcome for the Gialloblu.
Though as we’ve seen in recent matches, Luigi Delneri’s squad are still looking to take away some pride from the campaign and will not let Sampdoria leave with maximum points without a fight.
Even so, the head-to-head record between the teams does not bode well for the Mastini, who last defeated their weekend opponents in October 2013 thanks to goals from Juanito Gomez and Luca Toni.
However, the five games since that victory has seen the Ligurian outfit come out victorious on four occasions, amassing an incredible 17 goals on the way.
Delneri welcomes back Vangelis Moras to the squad after he served a one match suspension, while he will lose Giampaolo Pazzini to a ban of his own.
Meanwhile Federico Viviani and Samuel Souprayen remain injured on the sidelines.
For the visiting squad, Joaquin Correa will also miss the clash through suspension, with Ricardo Alvarez tipped to replace the attacking midfielder in a straight swap.
Carlos Carbonero, Jacopo Sala and David Ivan will also miss the trip as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
Form Guide: Hellas Verona (W-D-L-W-L) Sampdoria (D-L-D-L-W)
Expected starting XI’s
Hellas Verona: Gollini; Fares, Helander, Bianchetti, Pisano; Siligardi, Ionita, Marrone, Wszolek; Rebic, Toni.
Sampdoria: Viviano; Moisander, Ranocchia, Cassani; De Silvestri, Fernando, Soriano, Dodò; Alvarez; Cassano, Quagliarella.
Infographics courtesy of: https://sporticos.com/en-gb/2016-03-05/146243-match-hellas-verona-vs-sampdoria-genoa
Source: forzaitalianfootball.com