Catania find themselves in all sorts of problems following the third straight defeat, meaning they have no choice but to attack Verona from the off and hope to record a morale-boosting victory. Meanwhile, the Gialloblu arrive at Stadio Angelo Massimino buoyed by the home triumph over Atalanta that saw them cement sixth place in the standings.

What is happening to Catania?

Everybody at the club has worked hard over the last few years to help the team establish themselves as genuine top table side, with last year’s eighth-place finish in Serie A club’s biggest success in recent years. And while the departure of key players Francesco Lodi and Alejandro Gomez was always going to be a problem, nobody could imagine it would have such a big effect, especially as the Elephants managed to sign quite a few quality players in the summer. Nevertheless, Catania started struggling from the off, quickly slipping into the danger zone and they now sit at rock bottom, no less than five points adrift of safety. That is not the only problem as boss Luigi De Canio has a number of important players on the sidelines, but given the severity of the situation, he has no doubts but to adopt attacking approach on Saturday evening. And with the team conceding goals for fun, but also scoring on fairly regular basis, chances are we will see goals galore at Angelo Massimino, with the hosts in desperate need of three points.

Gonzalo Bergessio, Mariano Izco, Sergio Almiron, Giuseppe Bellusci and Cristiano Biraghi are out injured, but Panagiotis Tachtsidis and Pablo Barrientos are back in contention.

Back in business

Serie A survival was the only thing on the players’ minds when they secured a long-awaited return to elite division, and they probably couldn’t even dream that Verona would create a 12-point advantage over the bottom three after mere 15 league fixtures. Nevertheless, the reality is the Gialloblu have fully deserved the high league position with some mature displays in one of Europe’s strongest leagues, with shrewd summer recruitment proving a key to success. While many Italian clubs opted against taking a gamble with veteran striker Luca Toni, Hellas Verona jumped at the opportunity to sign the former Italy international and were in turn rewarded with 5 goals and as many assists from the towering forward. Meanwhile, talented youngsters Jorginho and Juan Iturbe have also been in scintillating form, helping the team climb to sixth position in the overall standings. What is even more impressive is that the Gialloblu did all that while playing attack-minded football, which has endeared them to many a neutral fan. And having recovered well from back to back defeats to Chievo and Fiorentina by beating Atalanta at home, Verona will fancy their chances of defeating out-of-sorts Catania.

Bosko Jankovic serves the final game of his two-match ban, whereas Ezequiel Cirigliano remains sidelined through injury.

Verdict

While Catania have no option but to attack their opponents in search of much needed victory, Verona will be more than happy to test their skills against the opposition in what should be a very open game. And with the hosts very low on confidence and missing four important players, the Gialloblu could even edge this one.

Top pick: Over 2.5 goals   2.10 (11/10) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   1.80 (4/5) @ Stan James

Alternative pick 2: Hellas Verona Draw no bet   1.96 (24/25) @ 888sport