Serie A new boys Carpi are set to welcome Hellas Verona for a desperate clash on Sunday as they host the Veneto side at the Stadio Alberto Braglia.
The Biancorossi are at the bottom of the Serie A table, having earned merely five points so far with the Gialloblu above them on the same points total.
Nevertheless, Carpi took their first win of the season against Torino in October. They will be looking forward to Sunday’s match as an opportunity to turn things for the best in the relegation battle, after a sound defeat to fellow top flight debutants Frosinone.
On the other side, Verona are suffering from a disappointing start of the season following their inability to secure a win in the first 10 matches of the Serie A campaign. Coach Andrea Mandorlini surely hopes for a comeback against the Biancorossi on Sunday, notwithstanding the club’s board reassurances that his job is safe.
Carpi’s coach Giuseppe Sannino will lack the attacking strength of Serie A veteran Marco Borriello through suspension, and the weight of the Falconi attack will rely on the freshness of on-loan winger Ryder Matos and youngster Kevin Lasagna. The injury list is full of important players for the Biancorossi, from former Serie B top scorer Jerry Mbakogu to former Hellas winger Raphael Martinho.
Verona will hope to have former Inter and AC Milan forward Giampaolo Pazzini back at his best and the attacking trio will likely be composed of the Italian flanked by Bosko Jankovic and Juanito Gomez.
One of the causes of the Gialloblu poor form can likely be attributed to the injuries suffered by talismanic forward Luca Toni and midfielder Emil Hallfredsson, the two cores of their side. However, the Icelandic international is back fit and is expected to start. Once again, Jacopo Sala will be the catalyst in midfield, trying to build some geometry for the team to get their first win.
Expected Starting XIs:
Carpi: Belec; Zaccardo, Gagliolo, Romagnoli, Gabriel Silva; Cofie, Marrone, Bianco; Di Gaudio, Matos, Lasagna.
Hellas Verona: Rafael; Pisano, Marquez, Moras, Souprayen; Greco, Sala, Hallfredsson; Jankovic, Pazzini, Gomez.
