In the final round of the 2019/20 Serie A season, already-relegated Brescia welcome Sampdoria to Stadio Mario Rigamonti on Saturday.
Nineteenth-place Brescia’s fate was confirmed last week, while Sampdoria sit fifteenth – six points clear of the drop zone.
All in all, it’s been a hugely disappointing season for Brescia. They have only managed to win six of their 37 league games this term, picking up just 24 points along the way.
In fact, Brescia have claimed just two wins in their previous 22 Serie A outings. They didn’t start the season too badly, but they have finished it in calamitous fashion.
A run of one defeat in four games after the restart gave the Lombardy club a glimmer of hope, but six defeats in their last seven mean they will be playing in Serie B next year.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria were also in danger of relegation after losing their first three games back after the unexpected lay-off.
However, a remarkable run of five wins in six games in July propelled Claudio Ranieri’s side to safety. Sampdoria beat relegation-rivals Lecce, SPAL and Udinese, as well as scoring three in wins over Cagliari and Parma.
But after securing their safety, it’s fair to say that Sampdoria have dropped off. With nothing left to play for this term, La Samp have lost their last three outings.
Granted, they have faced newly-crowned champions Juventus and in-form AC Milan recently. But a 2-1 loss to cross-city rivals Genoa was unexpected.
Head-to-head: Sampdoria thrashed Brescia 5-1 in the reverse fixture back in January, with veteran striker Fabio Quagliarella bagging a brace on that occasion.
It’s worth pointing out that Sampdoria have now beaten Brescia in their last two meetings with an aggregate scoreline of 7-2.
Team news: Andrea Cistana and Dimitri Bisoli will miss the final game of the season for Brescia with an ankle problem, while Emanuele Ndoj and Simon Skrabb are both injury doubts for the hosts.
As for Sampdoria, centre-back Alex Ferrari and winger Felice D’Amico are both unlikely to feature on the final day.
There is no denying that Sampdoria should beat Brescia comfortably, but it’s important to remember that both teams have scored in 12 of Sampdoria’s last 16 league games.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score on Saturday, but Sampdoria are likely to net over 2.5 goals on their way to victory.