Genoa host mid-table rivals Sampdoria at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, as Week 14 of Serie A resumes on Saturday.
Both teams have been inconsistent of late, winning just two of their last five games in Serie A, but only four points and two places separate them in the table.
Like Sampdoria last season, Genoa have struggled to adjust to playing on three different fronts, with the Europa League in particular costing time and energy.
The losses of Thiago Motta and Diego Milito have definitely rendered Genoa a little less decisive in the sharp end of the pitch and for once Samp seem to have the edge in the final third.
Giampaolo Pazzini and Antonio Cassano complement each other perfectly while Genoa’s attacking trident composed of Rodrigo Palacio, Hernan Crespo and Raffaele Palladino has proven only slightly greater than the sum of its parts.
Samp can draw on confidence, though, as they took just 65 minutes to beat Chievo on Sunday and, as they showed last year, are more than a match for anyone when everything rides on just one game.
The Blucerchiati reached the Coppa Italia Final last season and did reasonably well in the now defunct UEFA Cup, proving they have pedigree in knock out games.
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