Two places separate Hellas Verona and Genoa in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday's gameweek 32 contest at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi.
Paolo Zanetti's team head into this weekend on a three-match unbeaten streak, which has almost secured their safety this season, while the Rossoblu are looking to achieve back-to-back top-flight victories for the first time this season following last week's triumph over Udinese.
Match preview
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Verona are not completely out of the relegation conversation, but five points from nine have placed the Mastiffs seven points clear of Empoli in 18th place.
The 14th-placed side are on their longest unbeaten run in the same season since going four without losing from April to May 2023, and they aim to match that sequence from two years ago on Sunday.
Achieving that will require Verona to avoid losing at the Bentegodi in consecutive games for the first time this season, as previous wins or draws have been followed by defeats.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Zanetti's men have the third-worst home record in the division this term (14 points), outdoing only Empoli (nine) and Monza (eight).
Aiming to do the double over Sunday's visitors, the Gialloblu hope to secure a positive outcome in front of their supporters to almost guarantee another year in the top flight.
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Genoa are in a healthier position in the table, a testament to Vieira's work since taking over in November 2024.
The Rossoblu have claimed seven wins in the Frenchman's 19 Serie A games, drawing seven and losing five, with the club's 28 points boosting their survival push.
The Grifone were in 17th place when the 1998 World Cup winner took charge in November, having accrued 10 points from their first 12 fixtures, further highlighting the club's improvement since his arrival.
Nonetheless, the 12th-placed outfit are yet to win back-to-back Serie A matches; the club last managed two consecutive wins in January 2024, when they achieved 2-1 victories over Salernitana and Lecce, and they aim to end that 15-month wait at Verona's expense.
Supporters have reason to be confident, having won two of the previous three meetings between the clubs, including last year's corresponding fixture at the Bentegodi.
A repeat could see Genoa finish the weekend inside the top half, although that outcome depends on Udinese dropping points against AC Milan and Torino losing at Como.
Team News
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Zanetti has several injury concerns before Sunday's fixture, with Marco Davide Faraoni (foot), Casper Tengstedt (muscle), Abdou Harroui (knee) and Tomas Suslov (muscle) all unavailable.
With six-goal man Tengstedt missing, the hosts will depend on Daniel Mosquera (five goals) and Amin Sarr (four) to shoulder the attacking responsibility this weekend.
Morten Frendrup is suspended for Genoa, while Maxwel Cornet, Mattia Bani and Hugo Cuenca are sidelined due to muscle problems; Mario Balotelli misses out due to a hand injury.
Despite scoring only eight times in Serie A, Andrea Pinamonti has netted four game-opening goals and as many match-clinching strikes, underscoring the forward's importance to the Rossoblu.
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Ghilardi, Coppola, Valentini; Tchatchoua, Duda, Dawidowicz, Bernede, Bradaric; Sarr, Mosquera
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Leali; Sabelli, De Winter, Vasquez, Caricol; Onana, Zanoli; Messias, Malinovskyi, Miretti; Pinamonti
We say: Hellas Verona 1-1 Genoa
This match is difficult to predict, as Verona have only won one of their last nine home games since November, failing to score in six matches, while Genoa remain winless in their last seven away fixtures, suffering four losses.
As a result, the points could be shared in a potentially low-scoring affair at the Bentegodi.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
