Two sides fighting for their place in the Italian top flight will lock horns on Saturday as Brescia play host to Genoa at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti.

Brescia marked their return to action with a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina, whereas Genoa endured a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Parma last time out.

Match preview

Brescia managed to end a three-game losing streak as they shared the spoils with Fiorentina in their first game back since the coronavirus-enforced suspension, but that point does not change the fact that Brescia appear destined for a swift return to the second division.

Diego Lopez's side have not picked up all three points in a game since their 3-0 victory over Lecce in December - a barren run of 12 matches without a win in the Italian top flight.

As things stand, Le Rondinelle currently lie eight points adrift of safety and look set to go straight back down to the second tier, where they spent eight seasons before achieving promotion back to the big time last year.

Lopez's side have only picked up one of their four wins this season on home soil, and the league's basement side succumbed to a 3-1 defeat against Genoa when the sides last met in October.

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Genoa are hardly in a better position themselves, with their crushing defeat to European hopefuls Parma meaning that Il Grifone are only above the bottom three on goal difference.

To add insult to injury, Genoa's old foe Andreas Cornelius bagged his second hat-trick of the season at the weekend, with his first also coming against Davide Nicola's side earlier in the campaign.

The weekend defeat leaves Il Grifone 17th in the table on 25 points, although they were in terrific form before the shutdown as they achieved wins over Cagliari, Bologna and AC Milan before play was abruptly halted.

However, Genoa are still in a very precarious position near the foot of the table and they currently find themselves embroiled in a relegation battle as Nicola's men aim to extend their 13-year stint in the Italian top flight.

Il Grifone have managed to string together a four-game unbeaten run on the road, though, with their only two victories away from home this season coming in their most recent outings before the lockdown period.

Brescia Serie A form: LDLLLD

Genoa Serie A form: DWWLWL

Team News

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Brescia are likely to be without defenders Jhon Chancellor and Andrea Cistana as they recover from injuries, and Dimitri Bisoli is also out after rupturing a tendon in his knee.

Fellow midfielder Emanuele Ndoj missed out against Fiorentina but may be fit in time for the weekend, and other than that Lopez has a full selection of players available to pick from.

Federico Marchetti is back in the fold for Genoa having served a red card suspension, and the Italian will be battling Mattia Perin for a spot in goal.

Ivan Radovanovic remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament rupture, and Antonio Sanabria is reportedly struggling for match fitness after missing out the defeat to Parma.

Domenico Criscito was forced off in Tuesday's match and it remains to be seen whether the captain will recover in time for the weekend.

Brescia possible starting lineup:
Joronen; Sabelli, Papetti, Mateju, Martella; Romulo, Tonali, Dessena; Zmrhal; Donnarumma, Torregrossa

Genoa possible starting lineup:
Perin; Romero, Soumaoro, Masiello; Ghiglione, Cassata, Schone, Behrami, Criscito; Pinamonti, Pandev

We say: Brescia 1-1 Genoa

Neither of these sides inspire much confidence given their recent results in Serie A, but both teams will be determined to get three points on the board as the fight to avoid relegation gathers pace. That being said, we cannot separate the two clubs and are backing a draw for this one.

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