Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday evening, as the Biancorossi will play their first ever match in Serie A.
The Emilia-Romagna based club achieved a historic promotion from Serie B last season and they will be hoping to continue their impressive form into the first game of the 2015/16 season by getting off to a winning start, though the hosts will be just as eager as they look to make amends for a highly disappointing Europa league exit.
An inauspicious 4-2 aggregate loss to Serbian side Vojvodina (which include a 4-0 thumping at home) has put Sampdoria coach Walter Zenga’s job on the line, despite having only signed for the club a few weeks ago. The Italian tactician will therefore be aiming to get the most out of his team in order to stay clear of the axe.
New arrival Antonio Cassano isn’t expected to feature for Samp from the start, as the striker continues to work on his fitness after eight months out of the game. Although additional summer signings Niklas Moisander, Ervin Zukanovic and Fernando are all expected to make their debuts as they look to aid their struggling coach.
Carpi coach Fabrizio Castori will go into the match with a lesser sense of urgency than his counterpart after his side enjoyed a more fruitful pre-season, though that wont take away from his desire to claim a victory in his side’s Serie A debut.
The much changed squad have gelled well in the weeks building up to August, and the additions of forward’s Kamil Wilczek and Raphael Martinho could cause trouble for an already shaky Samp defence.
Brazilian loanee Matos could also make his mark on the game. The striker on loan from Fiorentina scored two goals in last week’s Coppa Italia fixture against Livorno, and his flair and nose for goal certainly makes him one to watch during the course of the match.
Aside from Italian defender Lorenzo De Silvestri, who remains sidelined with a long term injury, there are no fresh injury worries for either side meaning we can expect to see full strength lineups in this opening fixture.
Expected starting XIs
Sampdoria: Viviano; Cassani, Silvestre, Moisander, Zukanovic; Soriano, Fernando, Barreto; Correa, Muriel, Eder.
Carpi: Brkic; Bubnjic, Spolli, Gagliolo; Letizia, Lollo, Marrone, Lazzari, Gabriel Silva; Matos, Mbakogu.
