At this stage of the season - with only two rounds of games remaining -only a few teams are still in a position whereby these games will have consequences for their season. Sampdoria are one of those teams, as they are facing a tough battle to survive in Serie A.
Having finished fourth last season, the Genoa side started this one in the Champions League qualifiers. A satisfactory start to the league campaign saw them settle in mid-table by the time the Winter break came around, and so they decided to sell their top scorers, Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini. From then on things have gone downhill, and Mauro Boselli’s injury-time winner for Genoa last week leaves Sampdoria two points from safety and staring at the prospect of commemorating the 20th anniversary of their only Serie A title by being relegated. Federico Macheda – who was brought to Sampdoria on loan from Manchester United to help fill the void left by Cassano and Pazzini, but who has failed to make an impact – is expected to miss this game due to injury.
 |
| Sampdoria fans will be hoping for goals from Nicola Pozzi |
Palermo earned a place in the Europa League by beating AC Milan 2-1 on Tuesday to qualify for the cup final (their opponents Inter have already qualified for the Champions League). Their two remaining league games are therefore meaningless, and the match odds reflect this fact, but the Sicilians have shown renewed vigour since the return of coach Delio Rossi. They haven’t lost since he took charge for a second time, and with players competing for a place in the cup final line-up I am confident they will manage at least a draw against this Sampdoria team. The hosts look to be completely devoid of any confidence, and they could be relegated on Sunday if they fail to win and if Lecce beat their already-relegated rivals Bari.
Prediction – Palermo +1 (handicap betting) – 3pts
Match odds: Sampdoria 1/3
Draw 7/2
Palermo 13/2
Palermo +1 21/10
Sampdoria: Last 5 Serie A Results
08.05.2011 – Genoa 2-1 Sampdoria
01.05.2011 – Sampdoria 3-3 Brescia
23.04.2011 – Bari 0-1 Sampdoria
16.04.2011 – AC Milan 3-0 Sampdoria
10.04.2011 – Sampdoria 1-2 Lecce
Palermo: Last 5 Serie A Results
07.05.2011 – Palermo 2-1 Bari
01.05.2011 – Parma 3-1 Palermo
23.04.2011 – Palermo 2-1 Napoli
16.04.2011 – Roma 2-3 Palermo
10.04.2011 – Palermo 2-2 Cesena
