Palermo will travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris for their clash with Genoa on Monday night.
Giuseppe Iachini’s men are coming off a 1-1 home draw against Udinese prior to the international break, in a match which was plagued with yellow cards.
Genoa will enter the match with confidence following their 1-1 draw against the struggling Cagliari. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini’s men are undefeated in their last six games in the Serie A, including a shock 1-0 victory over league leaders Juventus.
The Grifone often have slow starts to matches due to Gasperini’s reluctance to start both Alessandro Matri and Mauricio Pinilla. Despite this, the Rossoblu are currently sitting in sixth position, thanks to their ability to score late yet devastating goals.
Against Palermo, Gasperini is expected to start with one solitary striker with Pinilla expected to get the nod. The 30-year-old Chilean signed for the club in August and has scored four times in nine appearances for the Rossoblu. However the adoption of a lone forward places heightened pressure on the backline of the Grifone who have only conceded minimal goals.
However Iachini’s squad sits mid-table behind an improved Fiorentina. Led by youngster Paulo Dybala, Palermo have dominated matches on numerous occasions but have failed to capitalise on several clear cut chances.
The 21-year-old Argentinian is known for terrorising opposition defences and has scored 12 goals in 70 appearances for the Rosanero. His consistent and persistent style will keep the Rossoblu defenders on their toes.
Aquile defender Sinisa Andjelkovic, has continually been the weakest link in the squad’s backline, has continually being caught out of position which forces the other defenders to compensate.
The two sides have met on 18 separate occasions in the Serie A with both teams level on five wins each. However their last meeting ended in a 0-0 draw where ten yellow cards and one red card were awarded.
Unfortunately, the pitch at Marassi has been affected due to the recent and devastating floods in Genoa. The massive amounts of water have penetrated beneath the pitch and has seen the players who have used it have problems with general ball control and footing.
Expected Starting XIs
Genoa: Perin, Antonelli, De Maio, Burdisso, Edenilson, Bertolacci, Kucka, Greco, Falque, Perotti, Pinilla
Palermo: Sorrentino, Munoz, Gonzales, Andelkovic, Pisano, Bolzoni, Barreto, Lazaar, Maresca, Vasquez, Dybala.
