Sampdoria vs Cremonese Predictions

• Sampdoria have only lost one of their last four home games, beating fellow strugglers Verona last time out on their own turf.
• Cremonese, meanwhile, are yet to win on the road all season, shipping 27 goals in 14 away league matches.
• The visitors have gone five games without a win since beating Roma in February, losing four of them.
• Sampdoria won October’s return fixture 1-0 on the road.

Serie A stragglers face off

Barring a miraculous escape from either side, Sampdoria against Cremonese will surely be a Serie B fixture next season, with the strugglers approaching Saturday’s head-to-head meeting 10 and 12 points, respectively, adrift of safety. While both teams’ hopes of survival appear extremely slim, it is Samp who have perhaps shown more quality in recent weeks, and their improved home form may set them up to salvage some pride.

Sampdoria were deservedly hammered 3-0 at Roma last time out, but Dejan Stankovic’s men have a reasonable record on home soil, only losing once – an unfortunate defeat to in-form Bologna – in their last four at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, having lost each of their previous four there. Samp’s last home outing saw them beat fellow strugglers Verona 3-1, and they will likely enjoy a territorial advantage here – only Lecce boast a lower average possession share than Cremonese in Serie A this season.

February’s upset of Roma could have been a turning point for Cremonese, but they have failed to win any of their subsequent five matches, falling to a demoralising first-leg defeat against Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia semi-finals on Wednesday – in what represented their biggest game of the season. Davide Ballardini has overseen seven defeats in his 13 games in charge, and they are yet to win in their 14 Serie A road trips this term.

Samp can salvage some pride

Cremonese have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 17 matches, despite Ballardini’s attempts at solidifying their backline after his mid-season appointment. Given their inability to keep things tight, Samp may be worth backing for a morale-boosting win.

Samp have managed more clean sheets in their last seven games (three) than in their previous 21 in the Italian top-flight (two), and another could be on the way, with a repeat of Samp’s 1-0 win in the return fixture a solid correct score play.

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