The Serie A leaders, Fiorentina, travel to Sampdoria on Matchday 12 looking to cement their position at the top of the table.
The Viola will be wary of the threat posed by Sampdoria and Azzurri forward, Eder, when they visit the Stadio Luigi Ferrara on Sunday evening. The Blucerchiati forward has been in prolific form this season, finding the net nine times for Sampdoria in eleven league games. Fiorentina’s defensive record has been excellent, conceding nine goals in their eleven league games, and the likes of Gonzalo Rodriguez and Davide Astori in the Fiorentina defence will need to be on top form to stop the Sampdoria marksman and his striking partner, Luis Muriel. The Sampdoria forwards have scored thirteen goals between them this season, whilst Roberto Soriano has aptly supported the striking duo by weighing in with 3 goals from midfield. If Fiorentina can prevent the supply to the Sampdoria frontmen, they stand every chance of maintaining their position at the top of the table.
Whilst Sampdoria possess a prolific attacking threat, Fiorentina themselves are one of the most prolific sides in Serie A this season, finding the net twenty two times in their eleven league games, and the Croatian international, Nikola Kalinic, will be looking to add to his tally of six league goals so far this season. The Viola’s attacking threat has seen ten of their squad score this season, and the Sampdoria defence will need to be wary of the creative influence of Borja Valero and the threat posed by the Fiorentina wing-backs. Much will rest on the experience of Matias Silvestre and Ervin Zukanovic, at the centre of the Blucerchiaiti defence, whilst former Viola players, Emiliano Viviano, Mattia Cassini and Lorenzo De Silvestre, will be eager to prove a point against their former club.
The previous seven fixtures between these two teams have seen Sampdoria win only one of them however, they have won three of the last five meetings with Fiorentina at the Stadio Luigi Ferrari. Whilst Sampdoria have an impressive unbeaten home record this season, they have kept only one clean sheet in those eleven games. One suspects that this game will not be short of goals, and given that Sampdoria have drawn four of their eleven league games this season, a high scoring draw would not be a surprise.
After their 2-0 win in the Europa League away at Lech Poznan on Thursday evening, Fiorentina manager, Paulo Sousa, will once again likely rotate his squad, with Nikola Kalinic, Borja Valero, Ciprian Tatarasanu and Milan Badelj all likely to return to the Viola starting line-up after being on the substitutes bench against Lech. After his two goals against Lech, Sousa might also be keen to reward Josep Ilicic with a starting berth, although Khouma Babacar will rightly feel harshly treated if he fails to make the first eleven, given that he has scored four goals in six league appearances this season.
Sampdoria are likely to keep much of the same team that played in the 1-1 draw away at Chievo on Monday evening, although Sampdoria coach, Walter Zenga, is likely to give Roberto Soriano a place in the starting line-up in place of David Ivan after Soriano was surprisingly only a substitute against Chievo.
Sampdoria likely starting line-up (4-3-1-2): Viviano; Cassani, Zukanovic, Silvestre, Mesbah; Fernando, Barreto, Soriano; Carbonero; Muriel, Eder.
Fiorentina likely starting line-up (3-5-2): Tatarasanu; Rodriguez, Astori, Roncaglia; Alonso, Badelj, Valero, Vecino, Blaszczykowski; Babacar, Kalinic.
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