Genoa vs Livorno

September 20, 2013
By: Nemanja Lazarevic

Buoyed by the amazing 3-0 victory in Derby della Lanterna, Genoa will be looking to move further away from the danger zone by continuing the rich vein of form against newly promoted Livorno. Amaranto have recovered well from the opening defeat to Roma, winning their last two league fixtures so no doubt they arrive at Stadio Luigi Ferraris full of confidence.

Maiden win for Liverani

Club chiefs opted to make some major cuts after the team narrowly avoided the drop last term, and many were surprised by the arrival of inexperienced coach Fabio Liverani. However, while also staying without several important players, the Rossoblu produced quite a coup by signing Francesco Lodi, one of league’s top playmakers, whereas Italy international Alberto Gilardino returned from a loan spell at Bologna. With so many changes to the playing squad, Genoa experienced some problems in the opening exchanges, losing their first three fixtures of the campaign, but they then impressed to record a 3-0 win over local rivals Sampdoria, which is enough to suggest they are slowly returning to the right track. A morale-boosting victory could be just what the team need to turn this season around, so don’t be surprised if Genoa continue the rich vein of form against Livorno as they certainly have more than enough quality and experience to escape the Serie A danger zone.

Key midfielder Juraj Kucka should be recalled to the starting line-up, but Giovanni Marchese is suspended and Luca Antonelli misses out through injury.

Amazing start for Livorno

Livorno successfully returned to the elite division after exactly five years, but the club chiefs seem to have failed to properly reinforce the squad for the new season. Operating on a tight budget, Amaranto could only do loan signings and free transfer deals, but it is clear they have failed to address the main issue, which is the lack of Serie A experience. With only Innocent Emeghara, Andrea Coda and Leandro Greco boasting some top flight experience, Livorno look desperately short in this department, which is likely to cost them Serie A survival. And while nobody was surprised by the opening defeat to Roma at their Armando Picchi, victories over Sassuolo and Catania were somewhat unexpected, but I just cannot see Livorno keeping their good run for much longer. We all know that these newly promoted sides tend to impress in the opening exchanges, only to show their true face once the excitement surrounding promotions subsides and that is exactly what is going to happen to Amaranto. Following back to back wins over Sassuolo and Catania, the match against Genoa is likely to be a tough landing for Davide Nicola’s men.

Important defender Emerson is struggling with a muscle problem, while Ruben Botta is out injured. Alfonso De Lucia misses out through suspension.

Verdict

Having finally returned to winning ways, Genoa are expected to extend the good run of results and prove they deserve to be fighting for mid table positions. Meanwhile, Livorno could find it hard to match their more illustrious opponents, especially if key defender Emerson fails to recover from injury.

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

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   2.10 (11/10) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Gilardino to score   2.38 (11/8) @ Betfred

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