Serie A Week 22 – 29 Jan 2017 (14.00 UK)
Sampdoria – Roma
Stadio Luigi Ferraris
Sampdoria and Roma meet at Marassi on Sunday, mere days after the Blucerchiati were hammered 4-0 in the Coppa Italia.
Few fans of Samp believe that their guests’ awful record at the Luigi Ferraris (only nine wins in their history) will sway things, as Roma’s recent form trumps the 2-1 loss they sustained last here season courtesy of a Kostas Manolas own goal.
Sampdoria, on the other hand, are winless as of early December, their once-exciting football now producing only four goals in the seven games since.
The home fans – who earlier this season travelled to Cagliari en masse to support the squad – are now resorting to more traditional means of encouraging a team (hurling insults) that has lost four Serie A games in six.
Though rivals Genoa (who are 15th to Samp’s 16th) are little better off, people were expecting more from a promising Coach in Marco Giampaolo, or young talents like Patrik Schick, Lucas Torreira and Karol Linetty.
Once scintillating, Giampaolo’s passing schemes now tend to get bogged down in midfield, while his exposed defence has looked poor. Edgar Barreto’s absence can’t have helped.
Roma, for their part, are offering Calcio neutrals a glimmer of hope, not so much because of Juventus’ one-point lead (the Bianconeri have a game against Crotone in hand, after all) but because of the Lupi’s newfound cynicism, their string of 1-0 wins in stark contrast to the champagne football – which tended to flounder when the going got tough – we saw last season.
Now known as “The Commander” at Trigoria, Tottenham flop Federico Fazio has helped Manolas and Toni Rudiger bolster the rearguard. The absence of Mo Salah doesn’t seem to be having a deleterious effect, Roma notching 15 points out of 15 with the Egyptian away through injury or international duty, as well as reducing their conceded shots per game tally from 13 to nine.
Roma fans will hope that Edin Dzeko hasn’t turned back into the pumpkin we saw last season. As well as he combines with Diego Perotti (who has only scored penalties this season), the Bosnian recently drew a barb from Coach Spalletti, who bemoaned his wastefulness.
Extremely weak at full-back (where Vasco Regini isn’t a regular), Sampdoria have much to fear from the likes of Bruno Peres and Perotti, or even a second-half cameo from Stephan El Shaarawy.
Giampaolo tends to have his teams play higher than most, positioning themselves 13 metres ahead of the Milan team they lost to back in September. Is this really so workable if someone like Milan Skriniar or the ageing Angelo Palombo have to man the pumps?
Player to Watch: Luis Muriel (Sampdoria) – The Colombian is reverting to the frustrating form of last season, the six goals he netted in his first 13 league games replaced by a big fat zero in his last 10. However, Roma are his favourite victims, putting five goals past them in nine meetings.
Form Guide: Sampdoria (L D L D L), Roma (L W W W W)
Last season: Sampdoria 2-1 Roma
Stat fact: Roma have won just one of the last seven trips to Sampdoria, 2-0 in September 2013 interrupting three losses and as many draws.
Top Tip: Roma to win with the handicap. Sampdoria are struggling to score, and Roma have kept nine clean sheets since Antonio Rudiger returned, starting 10 league fixtures.
Sampdoria (probable): Puggioni; Bereszynski, Silvestre, Skriniar, Regini; Barreto, Torreira, Linetty; Bruno Fernandes; Muriel, Quagliarella
Roma (probable): Szczesny; Manolas, Fazio, Rudiger; Peres, Strootman, De Rossi, Emerson; Nainggolan, Perotti; Dzeko
