Catania will be looking to further improve their league position and extend their unbeaten run to four games when they host Chievo, a team that are in difficult position at the moment. On top of that the Flying Donkeys have yet to bring their first point from the travels, so no need saying they will be in for a difficult task at Stadio Angelo Massimino.

Catania relentless at Massimino

Led by talented Vincenzo Montella, Catania largely impressed last season and if it hadn’t been for the poor finish of the league campaign, they would have been just few points behind European places. Even if the squad underwent no major changes in the summer, many believed the Elephants would struggle after Montella left to join Fiorentina, but his replacement Rolando Maran has done a tremendous job. While failing to find a cure for their travel sickness, Catania continued with impressive results at their Angelo Massimino, beating Genoa, Atalanta, Parma and Lazio, while sharing spoils with title contenders Napoli. Catania did lose at home to champions Juventus, but the mere fact the Bianconeri needed a big help from the referees and a smile from the Lady Luck proved the Elephants are rightly considered one of the best home sides in the elite division. Having recorded a 4-0 win over Lazio in their last home game and also avoided defeat at Cagliari and Udinese, Catania have every reason to hope for another comfortable home victory.

Top scorer Gonzalo Bergessio returns to the side, while Sergio Almiron is also back. This means that only back-up players Keko, Francesco Sciacca and Blazej Augustyn are out injured.

Chievo awful on the travels

Chievo had done well to avoid the relegation tussle over the last few years and they even ended the last league campaign in top half of the standings, but they have been struggling from the very start of this season. Departure of key players Michael Bradley and Francesco Acerbi certainly had something to do with that, especially as the new signings failed to properly acclimatize to the new surroundings. As a result, Chievo have experienced major problems in the early exchanges and they now sit just two points above the bottom three. The Flying Donkeys have done well to pick up 11 points from 7 home games, but it is their showings on the road that could end up costing them Serie A survival. Chievo are the only team in the elite division that have failed to bring a single point from the travels, and they cannot be expected to end the barren run when facing one of the strongest hosts in the top flight. With several important players also missing, the Flying Donkeys look destined for another defeat.

Marco Rigoni misses out through suspension, while Nicolas Frey, Paul Papp and Lorenzo Squizzi are out injured.

Verdict

Catania are absolutely relentless at their Stadio Angelo Massimino and with top scorer Gonzalo Bergessio set to return, they should have no problems beating out-of-sorts Chievo. The Flying Donkeys have lost every single match on the road this term and the trend looks likely to continue.

Top pick: Home win   1.85 (17/20) @ 888sport

Alternative pick 1: Catania/Catania   3.00 (2/1) @ Betfair

Alternative pick 2: Catania with -1 handicap   3.75 (11/4) @ Paddy Power