Serie A Preview: Palermo - Genoa

What: Serie A Round Three
Who: Palermo - Genoa
When: Sunday, September 21 2008, 14:00CET
Where: Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo

Palermo Full Of Confidence

The Rosanero have their heads held high coming into the game against Genoa who are also in good form. The Sicilians bounced back in style against Roma following their week one shambles. A lot has happened at the Renzo Barbera since the 3-1 away defeat to Udinese. Maurizio Zamparini sacked Stefano Colantuono and in came Davide Ballardini. The former Cagliari coach seems to have done the trick.

A stunning win over Roma in his first game in charge saw pride and confidence restored in the port city. A Fabrizio Miccoli brace and an Edison Cavani strike saw the Sicilian’s overturn a 1-0 deficit to run out comfortable 3-1 winners. The win showed the fighting spirit in Sicily and Genoa will need to be wary as Ballardini’s men seem to have been influenced by Zamparini’s fiery attitude.

The club president said that the Roma win had justified his decision to sack Colantuono in midweek but one win can hardly prove his point and the Rosanero will need to show they can carry that good form with them throughout the season. Genoa won this fixture 3-2 last term but the home side will be full of confidence following last week's result and thus more points are up for grabs this Sunday.

The Sicilian crowd got behind their side last week and they seemed to be the twelfth man. Ballardini is keen on holding on to his new job and he will have prepared wisely this week as an inform Genoa side will be looking to cause an upset. Zamparini has sacked 27 coaches as president and Ballardini will be 28 if his team begin to slip up from now on. A good result against I Grifoni will go a long way in helping the new coach bide his time and settle down as well as design his plan for Europe.

Grifoni Are Flying

Genoa stunned Milan in week two with a 2-0 win at Marassi. Nobody expected the result but it meant Gianpiero Gasperini’s men could bounce back into form following their week one shambles against the other Sicilian side, Catania. Diego Milito inspired his new team to victory with a goal and an assist for Gasbarroni and he will be trying to find more uplifting goals so that I Grifoni can continue to fly high.

The Rossoblu hadn’t beaten the Rossoneri in over two decades, and although many have argued the result was down to Milan’s recent woes, nothing should be taken away from the stunning performance I Grifoni put in.

Milito will be hoping to cause another surprising result, the Argentine is looking to make his mark following his move from Real Zaragoza. He was brought in to fill the boots of Marco Boriello who returned to Milan. The Italian hit the net 19 times last term. The former La Liga striker has his work cut out and he will have no better opportunity to grab a few goals against Palermo who have had mixed fortunes in defence.

Genoa have great hopes of qualifying for Europe this season after just missing out on the UEFA Cup last term. Three points are up for grabs as they continue to get up to speed but the Rosanero is no easy hunting ground.

Form Guide  

Palermo

Septtember 13 v Roma (H)    WIN 3-1

August 30 v Udinese (A)        LOSS 1-3

August 23 v Ravenna (H)        LOSS 1-2 (Coppa Italia)

May 18 v Siena (A)                DREW 2-2

May 11 v Sampdoria (H)        LOSS 0-2

Genoa

September 14 v Milan (H)       WIN 2-0  

September 09 v Bellinoza (H)  WIN 3-0 (Friendly)  

August 31 v Catania (A)          LOSS 0-1  

August 23 v Mantova (H)        WIN 3-1 (Coppa Italia)  

August 20 v Albese (H)           WIN 5-1  

Team News  

Palermo: Ballardini will be without Igor Budan and Simon Kjaer as the dup are injured. Fabrizio Miccoli is likely to start alongside Edison Cavani as the coach keeps the same formation which played so brilliantly against Roma last week.

Genoa: The Port city side are missing former Juventus man Matteo Paro who is still injured. Apart from that, Gasperini has a full squad to choose from. He is likely to stick with the same side who triumphed over the Rossoneri.

Probable Starting XI  

Palermo: Amelia; Cassani, Carrozzieri, Bovo, Balzaretti; Migliaccio, Liverani, Nocerino, Simplicio, Cavani, Miccoli.

Genoa: Rubinho; Biava, Ferrari, Criscito; Mesto, Milanetto, Juric, Modesto; Sculli, Milito, Gasbarroni.

Players To Watch  

Palermo: Fabrizio Miccoli. The former Juventus striker was outstanding against Roma and he scored two stunners last week. He is on fire and likely to cause Genoa a few problems with his pace, skill and super striking powers.

Genoa: Diego Milito. His initials were made famous by one Serie A legend and Milito will be looking to show off his magic against Palermo. Different but similar to Maradona in a few ways. Watch his movement and eye for goal.

Prediction

With both teams in good form, it’s hard to pick a winner. Palermo will have the passionate Sicilian tifosi roaring them on and they will be expecting another great performance. Genoa will be confident but they don’t travel well. They need a good result but it seems as if the spoils will be shared.