Having started the season miserably, Sampdoria, still without a win in the new campaign, welcome Milan in a late-night fixture on Saturday.
Milan had to swallow a bitter pill against Red Bull Salzburg in the opening round of UEFA Champions League 2022/23, with the Rossoneri holding onto a 1-1 draw against the Austrian side.
Although they have shown adorable composure and have amassed favourable results in recent weeks in Serie A, it could be difficult to sustain the momentum, especially after dropping points in the midweek.
There have been some tight results with one-goal margins between these two teams in the recent past. But despite Samp’s shoddy run of form, it should not be a walk in the park for the team from Milan, with Marco Giampaolo looking for a u-turn in their fortune.
Results in the last five games in all competitions:
Sampdoria: L-D-L-D-L
Milan: D-W-D-W-D
Team News
New signing Harry Winks is unlikely to play a part for Samp on Saturday evening. Simone Trimboli and Manuel De Luca will miss the game through their respective injuries.
Ahead of the match, several reports have claimed that Pioli will field Simon Kjaer in defence, Tommaso Pobega in the midfield, and Divock Origi in the attack. Junior Messias could get the nod over the scorer of the only goal against Salzburg, Alexis Saelemaekers. The list of absentees for the Rossoneri includes Rade Krunic, Ante Rebić, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Alessandro Florenzi.
Predicted XIs:
Sampdoria (4-5-1): Audero; Bereszynski, Ferrari, Murillo, Augello; Leris, Rincon, Viera, Sabiri, Djuricic; Caputo.
Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Kjaer, Kalulu, Theo Hernandez; Pobega, Tonali; Messias, De Keteleare, Leao; Origi.
Sampdoria could be a tough nut to crack, especially given that it will be a home fixture for the Blucerchiati. Milan’s success will depend on the success of their forwards and their shrewdness in front of the goal.Â
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
