Serie A: Sampdoria-Milan, here is a preview of the game
Marco Giampaolo’s men have still not lost a game, winning twice and drawing just as many times, with their clash against Roma postponed to a future date. Their previous outing saw them get held by Verona away from home and the fact that the men from Genoa have not won a single game in the previous two will be a slight cause of concern for Giampaolo. The blucerchiati have already beaten Fiorentina this season and it was an impressive 2-1 win at the Artemio Franchi.
As for the Rossoneri, they seemed to have recovered from their 4-1 hammering at the hands of Lazio two weeks ago. The wins over SPAL and Udinese helped them get back to form and has helped them climb up to fourth in the table. Sampdoria have the third best defensive record in the league, letting in just four goals, one more than Juventus. Their goal scoring record has been slightly disappointing as they have found the back of the net just six times, less than any of the top ten sides in the division.
They have two injury concerns heading into the clash against the Rossoneri, with Emiliano Viviano still out and Dodo expected to be out for another week. As far as Milan are concerned, Andrea Conti is out till March and Riccardo Montolivo is expected to be sidelined due to a thigh injury. Luca Antonelli too is suffering from a muscle injury and Gabi Paletta is nearing full fitness. This meeting between the two sides last season saw Montella's men earn a hard fought 1-0 win where as the reverse fixture at the San Siro saw Sampdoria avenge that loss by picking up a 1-0 win, thanks to a Luis Muriel strike late in the game.
Predicted line ups :
Sampdoria: Puggioni; Sala, Silvestre, Regini, Murru; Barreto, Torreira, Praet; Ramirez, Caprari, Quagliarella
AC Milan: Donnarumma; Zapata, Bonucci, Romagnoli, Abate, Biglia, Kessie, Calhanoglu, Rodriguez; Kalinic, Cutrone
By Kaustubh Pandey