Having ended a good run of results by losing to Chievo, Genoa will attempt to return to the right track by taking at least one point off Serie A leaders Juventus. Meanwhile, the Bianconeri are making giant strides towards third consecutive league title, while also looking to make amends for midweek draw with Fiorentina in Europa League.

Doing well under Gasperini

Genoa have seen a major downtrend in fortunes over the last few years, with the team having become serious relegation strugglers, and the Rossoblu could have been in a very difficult situation if club chiefs hadn’t sacked Fabio Liverani in the opening exchanges and appointed experienced boss Gian Piero Gasperini in his place. Genoa in turn showed a great deal of improvement under former Inter coach, and having created a 14-point cushion between them and the relegation zone, they can play without any pressure at the moment. The team did really well to take eight points from matches against Livorno, Udinese, Napoli and Catania, although they could do nothing to avoid a defeat to Chievo last time out. The Rossoblu have seriously improved their home form following the opening defeats to Fiorentina and Napoli, but, even so, I cannot really see them matching in-form Juventus side. The Bianconeri simply have too much quality and experience within their ranks and Genoa clearly face an uphill task, especially with quite a few first team regulars missing.

Isaac Cofie misses out through suspension, whereas Juraj Kucka, Alessandro Gamberini, Sime Vrsaljko, Luca Antonini and Antonio Donnarumma are out injured.

Relentless Juventus

While other top Serie A sides have largely struggled in recent years, Juventus have been getting stronger each season and nobody is surprised that they are on the road to win the third consecutive league trophy. Thanks to some heavy spending, the Bianconeri have built a squad capable of matching even Europe’s best sides and while they have yet to realise full potential in Europe, Antonio Conte’s charges are a real force to be reckoned with on domestic stage. The 14-point advantage over second-placed Roma is enough to suggest they have already secured the league title, although you can expect Juventus to remain focused on task at hand even after they mathematically secure the trophy. Team’s six-match winning run may have come to an end in midweek as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina, but that will make the Old Lady even more determined to impress against Genoa. And having won six of last eight league matches on the road, there is a reason why the Bianconeri have been made hot favourites to win at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Sebastian Giovinco is doubtful with a groin problem, whilst Claudio Marchisio, Mirko Vucinic and Simone Pepe are definitely out. A number of first team regulars will be recalled after they were rested in midweek.

Verdict

Genoa may be doing well at the moment, but they will have to play a perfect game in order to stop high-flying Juventus in their tracks. The Bianconeri have been winning these kinds of games with few goals to spare and I fully expect the trend to continue.

Top pick: Juventus/Juventus   2.10 (11/10) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 1: Juventus with -1.5 Asian handicap   2.30 (13/10) @ bet365

Alternative pick 2: Juventus to win to nil   2.30 (13/10) @ BetVictor