Both stuck in the bottom six of the early Serie A standings, Spezia and winless Sampdoria meet at Stadio Alberto Picco on Saturday.
While, last week, the hosts lost their latest of three away fixtures against Italy's top clubs, Samp let 10-man Milan off the hook at Marassi.
Match preview
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Though Spezia enter Serie A's seventh round with just five points and a solitary win to show for their efforts, a particularly tough schedule has seen them suffer at the hands of several Calcio giants.
Already beaten by Inter in Milan and Juventus in Turin, the Aquilotti bravely edged towards a hard-earned point in Naples last week, but were ultimately undone by Giacomo Raspadori's 89th-minute strike for league leaders Napoli.
After winning both of their new coach's first two competitive games, Luca Gotti's men have now failed to taste victory for five matches in all; the club's worst streak in Serie A since the end of last year.
Spezia have scored each of their goals this season - five in the league and the same number in the Coppa Italia - at home, where they return this weekend.
Therefore, the chance to take on their fellow Ligurians at the Picco could present the perfect opportunity to put a halt to that run and distance themselves from the bottom three.
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Sitting four places below their regional rivals in the table before Saturday's game, Sampdoria have picked up just two points to date; equalling their worst start to a Serie A season after six matches.
Having lost at home to Milan for the fourth time in a row last weekend - only the second time in the club's history they have suffered such a run at the hands of the Rossoneri - Samp are languishing in the relegation zone and surely face a season-long scrap for survival.
When Filip Djuricic flicked in a header against the reigning champions to equalise against 10 men, following Rafael Leao's dismissal, a first win of the 2022-23 campaign seemed to loom into view. However, Milan had other ideas, and Olivier Giroud sent the points back to the second city with a 67th-minute winner from the penalty spot.
Admittedly, fortune has not been on their side so far - no team has hit the woodwork on more occasions than Sampdoria in Serie A this season (six) - but Marco Giampaolo is already under pressure to produce a turnaround if his second spell at the club is not to be cut short.
After losing his head and being sent from the touchline in the defeat to his former club, he will now be absent from the dugout through suspension in La Spezia, as his team aim to claim three precious points at last.
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Team News
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Spezia forwards Daniel Maldini and Daniele Verde have continued to train separately this week, as they seek their respective returns from injury, while wing-backs Kelvin Amian and Salva Ferrer may also miss out again on Saturday.
Captain Emmanuel Gyasi and left-winger Arkadiusz Reca both expect to overcome knocks to feature, though, with Albin Ekdal now also available.
Despite being substituted 70 minutes into his debut for the club, on-loan defender Ethan Ampadu should continue in the back three of Luca Gotti's favoured 3-5-2 formation.
Meanwhile, Omar Colley is set to be Sampdoria's most prominent injury absentee, with fellow centre-back Alex Ferrari unaffected by a cut to the head received from Rafael Leao's raised boot last weekend.
Recent arrival Harry Winks, believed to be carrying an ankle problem, has been training away from the first team so far, and will not feature until after the international break.
Up front, Samp's scarcity of goals stems largely from an ageing strikeforce: veteran forward Fabio Quagliarella last scored away from home in May 2021, with 18 failures since in Serie A. Also out of form this term, Francesco Caputo has neither scored nor assisted in two previous games for the visitors against Spezia.
Spezia possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Nikolaou, Kiwior, Ampadu; Holm, Kovalenko, Bourabia, Bastoni, Reca; Gyasi, Nzola
Sampdoria possible starting lineup:
Audero; Bereszynski, Murillo, Ferrari, Augello; Vieira; Leris, Sabiri, Rincon, Djuricic; Caputo
We say: Spezia 1-1 Sampdoria
With only one win between them, confidence is low in both camps. As Spezia (10) and Sampdoria (18) are also two of the three teams with the fewest shots on target this term, expect a low-scoring Ligurian derby in which the spoils are shared.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
