Empoli striker Massimo Maccarone. (Photo : Getty Images)
Reeling club UC Sampdoria (6-8-5, 23 points) will try to get back to winning form as they meet lowly squad Empoli FC (4-10-5, 17 points) on Jan. 15, Sunday at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in a 2016-2017 Serie A season match.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 9:00 a.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Sampdoria has not tasted a victory since their 2-0 win over Torino in early December. The team is currently on a four-game winless slide and has been winless in five of their last six matches to drop to the 13th spot of the Italian top flight table, 13 points above the bottom three relegation area.
La Samp was nipped by powerhouse squad Napoli, 1-2, during their most recent game last Saturday on the road at the San Paolo Stadium, ESPN reported.
An own goal by Napoli defender Elseid Hysaj opened the scoring for head coach Marco Giampaolo's side in the 30th minute, giving them a 1-0 advantage at the halftime break.
However, Sampdoria caught a bad break one minute after the hour mark as Argentine defender Matias Silvestre was booked with a second yellow card, sending him off the pitch and giving the visitors a one-man disadvantage.
Napoli was able to take advantage of the setback by scoring the next two goals, courtesy of Manolo Gabbiadini and Lorenzo Tonelli in the 77th and 90th+5 minutes to snatch away the win and three points in the standings.
Meanwhile, Empoli nipped bottom three side Palermo, 1-0, at their home ground of Carlo Castellani Stadium also last Saturday for their third unbeaten performance in their last four games, as per the Daily Star.
Team captain Massimo Maccarone provided the winning goal for head coach Giovanni Martusciello's squad with a penalty kick in the 78th minute following a goalless first half of play for both sides.
Empoli is now in the 17th place in the overall standings, seven points above the bottom three relegation zone.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is another 1-0 victory for Empoli.
Sampdoria starting lineup (4-3-1-2 formation): Puggioni; Regini, Skriniar, Pereira, Silvestre; Alvarez, Praet, Barreto; Torreira; Schick, Quagliarella
Empoli starting lineup (4-3-1-2 formation): Skorupski; Pasqual, Cosic, Laurini, Bellusci; Saponara, Croce, Krunic; Diousse; Mchedlidze, Marilungo
