Sampdoria – Cremonese

Sampdoria will be closer to winning the battle of the outsiders

The results of Sampdoria's last five matches speak for themselves. The Genoese lost to Lazio, Juventus and Roma but secured a point against Salernitana (0-0) and beat Verona 3-1. The victory over Hellas was a six-point haul. It was the victory that kept the Mariners at least marginally resilient. The team's upcoming calendar also favours the points. Dejan Stankovic's side have a game against Lecce and Spezia, but then their opponents will be much stronger. It is only a question of motivation. After beating Verona, Sampdoria face Roma. The Genoese played an excellent match until exactly 52 minutes. After Murillo's second yellow card, the Mariners conceded three goals, two of which came after 88 minutes. It is worth noting that the suspended Neutink, who is expected to appear in the meeting, did not play at the Olimpico. Although Cremonese are sitting in last place in the standings, they are also sitting in front of the Italian Cup final. The first attempt for the Grigiorossi, however, ended in failure. On Wednesday, the Ballardini's men lost 0-2 to Fiorentina in their first leg of the semi-final. It is one in which there is at least a modicum of consolation for the team. The Cremonese have failed in the league, but the fact that they have reached such a high stage in the cup is truly sensational. The Grigiorossi lost 1-3 to Atalanta in the last round. Despite the scoreline, the Tigers looked pretty good. However, that "pretty good" will not help the team in the standings at all. With one win and ten draws, Davide Ballardini's side sit bottom of the table. The gap with La Spezia is 12 points. And it seems possible to eliminate it, but extremely difficult. Such a rescue would be far more sensational than last year's "miracle" of Salernitana. In any case, at this point, the team's busy schedule hinders them. Three games in one week is a tough task for a club of this calibre. In the first leg, Sampdoria got a narrow victory over the Grigiorossi. The Genoa side are more motivated and in a better physical condition. It is the Mariners who will be closest to victory in this game.