Preview : Spezia vs Sampdoria - Live streaming, lineups & Prediction

Spezia vs Sampdoria

SCHEDULE	TIME
GAME	Spezia vs Sampdoria
DATE	23.01.2022
TIME	09:00 AM (UTC)
VENUE	Stadio Alberto Picco (La Spezia)
LEAGUE	Serie A - Round 23

TV Channel Info

More Information

Streaming starts 5 minutes before kick off

Match Preview

◉ A run of three wins from the last four Serie A (SA) rounds has helped Spezia to pull away from the bottom three. In turn, only three sides picked up more points than Thiago Motta’s men across the last five matchdays, suggesting the mood here is a positive one, despite lingering uncertainty around the relegation battle.

◉ Curiously, Spezia are in a majority of sides who are averaging more points-per-game in their away league games than at home. That hasn’t been helped by their current four-game winless run of home league fixtures (D2, L2), but if they can buck that trend with a win, it would represent the first time they’ve ever won three consecutive SA games.

◉ Ligurian rivals Sampdoria also have their own concerns, with Il Doria’s current return of 20 points embroiling them in a relegation scrap. That haul is worse than at this stage of nine of their last ten seasons – barring an identical return in 2019/20, which they posted en route to a 15th-placed finish, suggesting they could yet stay out of trouble.

◉ Providing more cause for optimism is the re-appointment of manager Marco Giampaolo, who left Sampdoria in 2019. He could oversee a tight affair here, as each of the last three opening league games in any new managerial tenure for Giampaolo have ended 1-0 (W1, L2).

◉ Players to watch: Emmanuel Gyasi was Spezia’s shock matchwinner in Milan last time out, though that was the first win across his last five goalscoring appearances (D3, L1). Meanwhile, Antonio Candreva has made at least one goal contribution in all three of Samdoria’s away league wins, while also scoring their sole goal in this fixture last term.

◉ Hot stat: Spezia have conceded more goals (114) than any side across Europe’s top five leagues since the start of last season.

Spezia starting lineup:
Provedel; Amian, Erlic, Nikolaou, Ferrer; Kovalenko, Kiwior, Bastoni; Agudelo, Gyasi, Verde

Sampdoria starting lineup:
Falcone; Bereszynski, Ferrari, Dragusin, Augello; Candreva, Rincon, Thorsby; Gabbiadini; Torregrossa, Caputo

Prediction

Spezia 1-1 Sampdoria

Giampaolo is likely to come in and bring some organisation to his Sampdoria side, so with this being his first match back in charge, and with it being away from home, he will be determined not to lose it and could set up to be defensively stubborn.

As a result, and with these sides being evenly matched overall despite their differing form lately, we are predicting this to be a nervy affair that finishes in a draw.