Cremonense vs Sampdoria – News and Probable Lineups

Cremonese and Sampdoria are set to meet in the Coppa Italia on Monday night as both teams strive to return to Serie A.

Due to the unavailability of Stadio Zini, their first-round match will be held at a neutral venue in Bolzano, with the victor advancing to face Parma.

Match overview

After achieving promotion to Serie A, Cremonese swiftly found themselves back in Italy’s second tier, facing relegation again in May for the second time in three years.

Despite the contributions from forwards Jamie Vardy and Federico Bonazzoli, the Grigiorossi faced a quick descent back to Serie B, having only escaped through the playoffs a year earlier.

Though they started the campaign promisingly, winning only three out of their last 22 league games ultimately resulted in their inability to remain in the top flight.

Cremo managed a mere 16 points from a possible 57 at Stadio Zini, prompting head coach Marco Giampaolo – who will be up against a former club on Monday – to aim for significant improvement on home soil.

However, with the Zini currently not in use, Giampaolo’s squad will need to ‘host’ Sampdoria on neutral grounds.

As Cremonese gears up for their Serie B opener against Empoli, Sampdoria is set to clash with Cesena in their first league game.

The 1991 Scudetto champions, who reached the European Cup final the following year, have seen better days, now preparing for another second-division season.

Former Italy playmaker and Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo was let go early last season, with the Ligurian side ending up mid-table.

Now, Bernardo Corradi, a former striker for Manchester City, is charged with leading the Blucerchiati back to Serie A, and the recruitment team has been particularly active this summer.

In his initial senior coaching role after overseeing various Italy youth teams, Corradi has been given several seasoned players who have experience in European competitions, notably Lorenzo Insigne.

The performance of Sampdoria in Serie B remains to be seen, but they will first focus on the Coppa Italia, a trophy they lifted four times during their peak in the 1980s and 90s.

Team News

Cremonese has recently brought in Empoli winger Salvatore Elia and Genoa defender Alessandro Vogliacco as part of their rebuild following relegation.

With the transfer window still open and their match in Serie B approaching, predicting the starting XI for Giampaolo will not be an easy task.

Danish forward David Stuckler scored the deciding goal against Hellas Verona last week, and he could partner either Bonazzoli or Milan Djuric in the attack on Monday.

On the other hand, Sampdoria’s transfer activities have seen players like Insigne join ex-Cremo defender Luca Ravanelli, as well as foreign acquisitions such as Danel Sinani, a forward with 82 international caps for Luxembourg.

Yari Verschaeren, who transferred from Anderlecht, may also make his competitive debut, assisting Norwegian forward Tobias Lauritsen, who found the net in a recent 2-0 win against Parma.

Peter Vindahl, Oliver Abildgaard, Tjas Begic, and Nikola Sekulov are recovering from injuries, while Insigne and Ravanelli have been training separately and both remain fitness concerns.

Cremonese probable starting XI:

Fulignati; Barbieri, Baschirotto, Luperto, Pezzella; Elia, Gerli, Berti, Vandeputte; Bonazzoli, Stuckler

Sampdoria probable starting XI:

Krastev; Di Pardo, Viti, Gartenmann, Cicconi; Conti, Henderson, Verschaeren; Sinani, Lauritsen, Tutino

After an ambitious summer focused on building their squad, Sampdoria appears poised to launch a promotion campaign in the upcoming months.

Considering that Cremo might be feeling low on morale after their relegation – compounded by the lack of home advantage as initially planned – Samp could very well kick off the Corradi era with a cup victory.