Having hit rock-bottom earlier this week, Sampdoria once again seek their first home win when they welcome fellow strugglers Salernitana to Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday.
After losing to Lazio, Cremonese's win over Roma sent Samp to the foot of Serie A's standings, but their visitors distanced themselves from the bottom three with an impressive defeat of Monza last weekend.
Match preview
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Yet to win in 2023, and the only side in Serie A still to taste victory at home, Sampdoria return to Genoa this week with tails firmly between their legs.
Despite holding firm for nearly 80 minutes against Dejan Stankovic's former club Lazio on Monday, their beleaguered coach saw the Blucerchiati concede another heartbreaking goal in the closing stages to leave Rome with nothing to show for their efforts.
Now bottom of the table and nine points from safety, Samp swirl ever closer to the Serie A trapdoor, and with games starting to run out there are very few signs Stankovic can make a belated impact and help his team avoid demotion.
Having posted the club's worst-ever total at this point of a Serie A season, the current squad have taken just two points from their last eight outings, and an air of resignation to their fate seems to have set in at Marassi.
Sampdoria have given their loyal fans little to cheer about on home soil this year, as they have not only failed to win but also scored a measly three league goals there. That leaves them needing a turnaround in their next four fixtures at Stadio Ferraris, as they must meet Verona, Cremonese and Spezia after hosting Salernitana.
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Fully 13 points ahead of their more established counterparts in the table, Salernitana have won both of their last two meetings with Sampdoria in Serie A, including the most recent one at Marassi: a 2-1 success in April 2022.
Paulo Sousa recently stepped into the hotseat in Salerno, tasked with arresting the Granata's slide towards the drop zone, and the former Fiorentina coach witnessed his new team beat mid-table Monza 3-0 last Sunday, with Antonio Candreva's late strike following goals from Lassana Coulibaly and Grigoris Kastanos.
Following three consecutive defeats without scoring, Salernitana had ended that run in both regards, and now they aim for consecutive league wins for the first time since October.
However, Sousa will surely have to make an impact on their away form if they are to secure a third straight season in the top flight: they have lost six times in their last eight road trips, conceding an average of 2.9 goals per game in the process - a run which brought about the demise of former boss Davide Nicola despite his reputation as a Serie A survival specialist.
Always posing a threat at the other end of the pitch, the Campanian club may average the most touches in the opposition box this season (42 per game), but the division's worst defensive record still leaves them vulnerable to a desperate Sampdoria side.
Team News
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Dejan Stankovic has some selection dilemmas to resolve on Sunday, as first-choice striker Manolo Gabbiadini must serve a suspension and Sam Lammers is a doubt due to an ankle problem picked up in training. The latter scored against Salernitana last September while playing for Empoli; however, he has played 706 minutes so far in 2023 without scoring - the most of any Serie A striker.
If Lammers cannot start, Jese Rodriguez and 40-year-old Fabio Quagliarella could be in line to feature up front; Michael Cuisance and Abdelhamid Sabiri will battle it out for one place in support of the front pair; Filip Djuricic is ruled out.
Meanwhile, Jeison Murillo and Ignacio Pussetto miss out through injury, but Koray Gunter is now back in the fold and should start in the hosts' back three.
Salernitana's defensive options are boosted by Dylan Bronn returning from suspension, but Federico Fazio and William Troost-Ekong are still unavailable.
Boulaye Dia should be fit enough to play a part in the final third, though, and may join Antonio Candreva - who made 71 league appearances for Sampdoria between 2020 and 2022 - in linking up with Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek.
The latter has attempted more shots (17) without scoring in Serie A than any other player in 2023 - he had scored three times with his previous 17 shots.
Sampdoria possible starting lineup:
Audero; Gunter, Nuytinck, Amione; Leris, Winks, Rincon, Augello; Cuisance; Rodriguez, Quagliarella
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Bronn, Gyomber, Pirola; Sambia, Crnigoj, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva, Dia; Piatek
We say: Sampdoria 1-1 Salernitana
Sampdoria are yet to draw any of their seven league games against Salernitana, but that quirk of history may be ended on Sunday as they lack the firepower to capitalise on their visitors' defensive deficiencies. A point suits the Granata more, though, and would continue Paulo Sousa's promising start as head coach.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
