Preview: Sampdoria vs. Torino - prediction, team news, lineups

Sampdoria will host Torino on Sunday afternoon hoping to end their run of five Serie A matches without a win.

Meanwhile, Il Toro escaped from the relegation zone last weekend with a dramatic win over Sassuolo and could move further away from danger if they secure three more points at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.

Match preview

© Reuters

Sampdoria dropped into the bottom half of the table for the first time since January courtesy of a 3-1 defeat at Bologna last weekend.

Fabio Quagliarella's equaliser gave the Blucerchiati hopes of a win after Musa Barrow had put the Rossoblu in front, but strikes from Mattias Svanberg and Roberto Soriano helped the hosts seal all three points.

Claudio Ranieri's side now sit in 11th place and even though they are 10 points above the relegation zone, form must improve if they are to avoid a potential battle for survival.

No Serie A team have earned fewer points than Sampdoria over the last five league games, with the Blucerchiati accumulating just two points with draws against Genoa and Cagliari.

Sampdoria have scored in each of their last 14 top-flight home matches against Torino, losing only one of these games in November 2018, when they were convincingly beaten 4-1.

Victory on Sunday could see the Blucerchiati move back into the top half of the table if Udinese were to lose against Lazio.

© Reuters

Torino's 13-game wait for a home win in Serie A is finally over, and their hopes of survival were handed a major boost as a Simone Zaza brace helped the Granata come from two goals down to win 3-2 against Sassuolo last weekend.

Rolando Mandragora tapped in from close range to bring the game level in the 86th minute, but the drama was not over as Salvatore Sirigu made a brilliant save to prevent Pedro Obiang from scoring Sassuolo's third, before Zaza headed in a 92nd-minute winner to seal a sensational comeback.

That result moved Davide Nicola's side out of the relegation zone and one point above Cagliari, with a game in hand still to play.

Torino head into Sunday's fixture against Sampdoria after failing to win any of their last three meetings against them, including a 2-2 draw played out in November.

Former Genoa boss Nicola won his only previous Serie A game against Ranieri last season when he came out on top in the Genova derby, triumphing 2-1 in December 2019.

Another victory against his compatriot on Sunday would see Torino claim successive top-flight wins for the first time since January 2020 and could move them as high as 15th in the table.

Team News

© Reuters

Sampdoria are without midfielder Gaston Ramirez through suspension, while forward Ernesto Torregrossa remains unavailable as he is nursing a calf injury.

Centre-back Omar Colley is back from suspension and could return to the starting lineup at the expense of Lorenzo Tonelli.

Experienced striker and top goalscorer Quagliarella is set to lead the line once again; the 38-year-old, who made his top-flight debut with Torino in May 2000, is only two goals from joining Amedeo Amadei (175) in 14th place on the list of all-time top scorers in Serie A.

Torino pair Daniele Baselli (ankle) and Nicolas Nkoulou (coronavirus) are to be assessed before kickoff but are unlikely to feature this weekend.

Left wing-back Cristian Ansaldi started at right wing-back last weekend ahead of Mergim Vojvoda, but the Argentine is expected to start in his natural position with Vojvoda replacing Nicola Murru in the first XI.

Sampdoria possible starting lineup:
Audero; Bereszynski, Yoshida, Colley, Augello; Candreva, Silva, Ekdal, Jankto; Keita, Quagliarella

Torino possible starting lineup:
Sirigu; Izzo, Lyanco, Bremer; Vojvoda, Rincon, Mandragora, Lukic, Ansaldi; Zaza, Belotti

We say: Sampdoria 1-1 Torino

The last eight Serie A meetings between Sampdoria and Torino have seen four draws and two wins for each team, including the 2-2 draw played out earlier this season.

With little to separate the two sides, a score draw could be on the cards at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.