Football Previews
Sampdoria will have to dig in on Wednesday against Hellas Verona and for the rest of the season as they try to overcome the loss of top scorer Citadin Eder to injury. Looking to hold on to a Europa League-qualifying position, Samp will have to cope without their Italian forward after he sustained a knee ligament injury in Sunday’s 4-2 defeat at Napoli. Eder, who has scored nine Serie A goals, is also expected to sit out Italy’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Croatia on June 12. “Unfortunately my season is over,” Eder tweeted. “I want to thank the fans for all their messages of support. “I will work hard to return stronger than before.” Samp are in the midst of a four-match winless run but are fifth in the standings. The Blucerchiati cannot afford any further setbacks with Fiorentina and Genoa in hot pursuit. Fiorentina are one place and one point adrift of Samp while Genoa are three points behind their city rivals. “We only have to fear ourselves,” Samp coach Sinisa Mihajlovic said. “Unfortunately, you cannot buy motivation in the supermarket. “But I’m convinced that on Wednesday, my players will show their worth.” Samp are unbeaten at home this season and take on a Hellas side that has hit form at just the right time. Last weekend’s 3-2 triumph over Sassuolo followed their 1-0 victory at Fiorentina and allowed Hellas to climb to 12th in the standings. With six games remaining, Hellas have 39 points in the bank and are 15 points clear of the drop zone. “My team has done a great job in recent games and when you have a player like Luca Toni in front, you can win against anyone,” Hellas coach Andrea Mandorlini said. Toni struck two goals against Sassuolo to become Hellas’ all-time top scorer in Serie A with 37 goals. The 37-year-old forward has – for a second consecutive campaign – proved pivotal for the Verona outfit. The former Italy international has scored 17 goals in 32 league appearances. “He is a great champion and we are fortunate to have a player like him,” Mandorlini said. “But I also have a great team that helps and supports Luca to allow him to score goals.” Hellas will not be at full strength on Wednesday with goalkeeper Rafael, defender Evangelos Moras and midfielder Mounir Obbadi, all suspended. Francesco Benussi will replace Rafael in between the posts.
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Team
MP
W
D
L
F
A
G
P
1
SSC Napoli
12
8
2
2
19
9
+10
26
2
Atalanta
12
8
1
3
31
15
+16
25
3
Fiorentina
12
7
4
1
25
10
+15
25
4
Inter Milan
12
7
4
1
26
14
+12
25
5
Lazio
12
8
1
3
25
14
+11
25
6
Juventus
12
6
6
0
21
7
+14
24
7
AC Milan
11
5
3
3
20
14
+6
18
8
Bologna
11
4
6
1
15
13
+2
18
9
Udinese
12
5
1
6
15
18
-3
16
10
Empoli
12
3
6
3
9
10
-1
15
11
Torino
12
4
2
6
15
18
-3
14
12
Roma
12
3
4
5
14
17
-3
13
13
Parma
12
2
6
4
16
18
-2
12
14
Verona
12
4
0
8
17
27
-10
12
15
Como
12
2
4
6
13
23
-10
10
16
Cagliari
12
2
4
6
12
22
-10
10
17
Genoa
12
2
4
6
9
22
-13
10
18
Lecce
12
2
3
7
5
21
-16
9
19
Monza
12
1
5
6
10
15
-5
8
20
Venezia
12
2
2
8
11
21
-10
8
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