Preview: Cremonese vs Sampdoria - prediction, team news, lineups

Before both clubs begin a quest to rejoin Serie A, Cremonese and Sampdoria will clash in the Coppa Italia on Monday evening.

As Stadio Zini is unavailable, their first-round tie will take place in neutral Bolzano, with the winner going on to play Parma.

Match preview

For the second time in three years, Cremonese made a quick return to Italy's second tier after reaching Serie A, suffering another relegation in May.

Despite the efforts of forward pair Jamie Vardy and Federico Bonazzoli, the Grigiorossi slid straight back down to Serie B, having escaped via the playoffs just 12 months earlier.

Though the Lombardy club started well, winning only three of their last 22 league matches meant it was almost inevitable they would fail to stay up.

Cremo accrued just 16 points from a possible 57 at Stadio Zini, so head coach Marco Giampaolo - who will meet one of his old clubs on Monday - now intends to do far better on home turf.

However, with the Zini currently out of commission, Giampaolo's men will have to 'host' Sampdoria on neutral soil.

While Cremonese are bound for Empoli on Serie B's opening matchday, Samp will soon visit Cesena for their first league fixture.

The 1991 Scudetto winners - who reached the European Cup final one year later - have since fallen from grace, and they are now building towards another second-tier campaign.

Ex-Italy playmaker and Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo was dismissed early last season, before the Ligurian side eventually finished in mid-table.

Now, former Manchester City striker Bernardo Corradi is tasked with bringing the Blucerchiati back to Calcio's top flight, and their recruitment team have been very busy this summer.

In his first senior job after managing various Italy youth teams, Corradi has been provided with several older players boasting experience in European competition - most notably Lorenzo Insigne.

It remains to be seen how they fare down in Serie B, but Samp will first return to the Coppa Italia - a competition they won four times during their 1980s and 90s heyday.

Cremonese pre-season form:

Sampdoria pre-season form:

Team News

Cremonese have just added Empoli winger Salvatore Elia and Genoa defender Alessandro Vogliacco to their squad, as a post-relegation overhaul continues.

With the transfer window still open and their Serie B opener fast approaching, predicting Giampaolo's starting XI will not be straightforward.

Danish striker David Stuckler scored the winner against Hellas Verona last week, and he could partner either Bonazzoli or Milan Djuric on Monday.

Meanwhile, Sampdoria's recruitment drive has seen Insigne join ex-Cremo defender Luca Ravanelli, plus foreign signings such as 82-cap Luxembourg forward Danel Sinani.

After arriving from Anderlecht, Yari Verschaeren could also make his competitive debut, supporting Norwegian striker Tobias Lauritsen, who scored in the recent 2-0 friendly win against Parma.

Peter Vindahl, Oliver Abildgaard, Tjas Begic and Nikola Sekulov are all recovering from injuries, while Insigne and Ravanelli have trained separately and are both fitness doubts.

Cremonese possible starting lineup:

Fulignati; Barbieri, Baschirotto, Luperto, Pezzella; Elia, Gerli, Berti, Vandeputte; Bonazzoli, Stuckler

Sampdoria possible starting lineup:

Krastev; Di Pardo, Viti, Gartenmann, Cicconi; Conti, Henderson, Verschaeren; Sinani, Lauritsen, Tutino

We say: Cremonese 1-2 Sampdoria

After an ambitious summer of squad-building, Sampdoria look ready to mount a promotion push in the coming months.

Given that Cremo could be low on confidence after relegation - and will not have home advantage as planned - Samp can start their Corradi era with a cup win.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.