Chievo host Sampdoria at the Stadio Bentegodi on Monday evening in Serie A, with both teams trying to get back to winning ways.
After a bright start to the season, both sides have suffered a dip in form. The hosts have not won in five games and come in off the back three consecutive losses. Sampdoria on the other hand arrive after a disappointing home draw with Empoli and Samp have only won one of their last five.
Last season saw both encounters between Chievo and Sampdoria end with the same result: 2-1 in favour of the hosts, with the Blucerchiati winning in September and Rolando Maran’s side taking the three points in February.
Maran will still not be able to count on Perparim Hetemej, whilst Nicholas Frey picked up an injury against AC Milan and will also be sidelined. Nicola Rigoni should be back to the starting XI, with Giampiero Pinzi back on the bench.
Up front, Maran will likely give some rest to captain Sergio Pellissier, who started against Milan, with Riccardo Meggiorni starting in his place and Valter Birsa should start ahead of Simone Pepe again, making it a 4-3-1-2 formation instead of a 4-3-3.
Walter Zenga, on the other hand, will play his best starting XI, with top-scorer Eder up front with Luis Muriel back in his place instead of Antonio Cassano, who started against Empoli. The ex-Real Madrid star still didn’t seem fully ready to play at his top level and Zenga will likely wait to give him some more playing time.
Zenga cannot count on long-term injury absentees Vasco Regini, Andrea Coda, Lazaros Christodoulopoulos and Nenad Krsticic, but otherwise he can play his preferred team, with Roberto Soriano in the middle and Joaquin Correa as a No.10.
Chievo will have to be careful at the back to resist to the attacks of Muriel and especially Eder, whilst the guests will have to make sure to not leave too much space on the counter to the speed of Meggiorini and the goalscoring instinct of Alberto Paloschi.
Form Guide: Chievo (D-D-L-L-L) Sampdoria (L-D-L-W-D)
Starting XIs
Chievo: Bizzarri, Cacciatore, Gamberini, Dainelli, Gobbi, Radovanovic, Rigoni, Castro, Birsa, Paloschi, Meggiorini.
Sampdoria: Viviano, Cassani, Silvestre, Zukanovic, Mesbah, Soriano, Fernando, Barreto, Correa, Eder, Muriel.
Infographic courtesy of Sporticos.com
