The mere fact the two sides are tied on points in Serie A mid table should guarantee us an interesting encounter at Marassi, although the hosts are clearly in better form at the moment. While Chievo picked up just one point from last three fixtures, Sampdoria added eight points to their tally over the last four league matches.

Sampdoria on fire

Even if the club officials added several experienced players to their existing pool of talent in the summer, everybody wondered whether the youthful side would be able to adapt to the demands of Serie A. The likes of Obiang, Icardi, Poli and Krsticic quickly proved they have what it takes to play at this level, and along with some more experienced players helped Sampdoria climb away from the danger zone. As a result, top Italian clubs are now desperately trying to lure the aforementioned players from Marassi, but Samp chiefs have done well to keep hold of their key players in the January transfer window. They were soon rewarded for the bold move, with the team recording comfortable home wins over Pescara and Roma, while bringing points from Turin and Naples. Having scored nine goals and conceded just one in last two home fixtures, Sampdoria look a good bet to extend the excellent run against Chievo.

Apart from Enzo Maresca, who is out with a muscle problem, Delio Rossi will have fully fit squad to choose from.

Chievo on the downtrend

Chievo are another side that have been exceeding expectations this season, given that the Flying Donkeys were seen as one of the main candidates for the drop and they now sit eight points clear of the bottom three. The team would probably be sitting deep in the relegation zone had club chiefs did not decide to replace Domenico Di Carlo with Eugenio Corini, who has done far better than anyone could expect. Strong performances at their Bentegodi and several victories on the road saw the Flying Donkeys climb to mid table, although it appears that they have suffered a big dip in form of late. Having picked up just one point from last three matches, there is every chance Chievo will struggle at Marassi, especially when we know that they have lost 9 of 12 away games in Serie A this season.

Gennaro Sardo, Nikolaos Spyropoulos, Adrian Stoian and Lorenzo Squizzi all miss out through injury.

Verdict

Sampdoria have been absolutely brilliant of late, and they should be able to continue the impressive home run against one of the worst travelers in Serie A. Chievo are going through a difficult period at the moment and I seriously doubt they can get something from Marassi in this state.

Top pick: Home win   2.05 (21/20) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 1: Sampdoria to score two or more   2.20 (6/5) @ Sportingbet

Alternative pick 2: Over 2.5 goals   2.30 (13/10) @ Coral

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