Prediction: Sampdoria vs AS Roma

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 6/10

Bookmaker: William Hill

High-flying Sampdoria can further increase their advantage over their rivals for Europa League positions if they win the rearranged match against AS Roma, who, on the other hand, have a chance to catch fourth-placed Inter Milan, so we definitely expect to see an entertaining encounter at Marassi.

Sampdoria

Sampdoria’s uptrend in fortunes coincided with the arrival of controversial, yet very ambitious chairman Massimo Ferrero, who managed to take the club to a whole new level. The Blucerchiati went from 15th-place finish in 2015/2016 to 11th-place finish last season, and they have since continued climbing the Serie A standings. Midway through the current league campaign, Sampdoria are sitting pretty in 6th, two and three points clear of AC Milan and Atalanta respectively, whereas they also have a game in hand.

While the results have been pretty impressive this term, the value of the squad has increased significantly over the last year or so, as the likes of Lucas Torreira, Karol Linetty, Denis Praet, Duvan Zapata and Dawid Kownacki have all been linked with big club moves. What is more, veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella has been in the form of his life, bagging 15 goals in 20 games, more than he has ever scored during a single season in the top flight. As far as current form is concerned, the Blucerchiati were beaten by Napoli and Benevento, but home wins over SPAL and Fiorentina can give them confidence going into the AS Roma game.

Team News

Duvan Zapata and Edgar Barreto will be recalled to the side, as head coach Marco Giampaolo will have fully fit squad to select from.

AS Roma

AS Roma had enjoyed a very good start to the season under new boss Eusebio Di Francesco, but the busy schedule eventually got to the players and the team began to struggle at the turn of the year. While they were eliminated from Coppa Italia by Torino, the Giallorossi also failed to win four straight league fixtures, sharing spoils with Sassuolo and Inter Milan, while losing to Juventus and Atalanta. As a result, Roma slipped to fifth in the league standings and they could really use a win over Sampdoria to kick-start their league campaign.

The fact of the matter is that they will play the Blucerchiati twice in the space of four days, but recording two wins over the Marassi outfit could prove a very difficult task. The Giallorossi showed some improvement in the high-profile game against Inter Milan, coming very close to what would have been an important triumph, only to concede a goal in the final stage of the game. But, having failed to win any of their last five away fixtures, AS Roma could face a tough task at Marassi in midweek.

Team News

Daniele De Rossi is expected to return to the side, while Diego Perotti remains doubtful and Rick Karsdorp is definitely out.

Key Factors to Consider

• Sampdoria win 8 of 10 Serie A games at home this term
• The Blucerchiati defeated Milan, Atalanta, Juventus and Fiorentina in the process
• AS Roma winless in last five away games (D3 L2)
• The Giallorossi lost three of last five matches (D2)
• Sampdoria won last two home games vs AS Roma
• Three or more goals were scored in their last five meetings

Conclusion

Sampdoria are in better form than the opposition at the moment, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they end up piling more misery on AS Roma, but betting on over 2.5 goals would be the more sensible thing to do. Each of their last five meetings produced three or more goals and we fully expect the trend to continue.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 6/10

Bookmaker: William Hill