Bresciavs.Venezia

The Lagunari will visit Stadio Rigamonti in their first competitive contest since winning the Serie B playoffs last season.

Match preview

Finishing their 2023-24 campaign with a run of seven wins from 10 matches, Venezia ultimately prevailed in Italy's second-tier playoffs and booked a return to Serie A after two years away.

Having just missed out to Como for automatic promotion, they saw off Palermo in the semi-finals, then Cremonese in a two-legged decider, with Christian Gytkjaer scoring the crucial second-leg winner at Stadio Luigi Penzo.

However, head coach Paolo Vanoli then jumped ship for Torino, so ex-Roma boss Eusebio Di Francesco will take charge of the Arancioneroverdi for the upcoming campaign.

After being sacked by a series of Serie A strugglers - Sampdoria, Cagliari and Hellas Verona - Di Francesco very nearly kept Frosinone afloat last season, but having suffered the heartbreak of relegation, he will now try to prevent Venezia going the same way.

The Lagunari's top-flight return begins next week, when they travel to the capital for a tough test against Lazio, but they must first aim to improve on last year's first-round cup exit.

Pre-season results - four wins from six, with the last two coming against Dutch sides Utrecht and PEC Zwolle - suggest they are in good shape for Sunday's clash with Brescia, who they took four points off in Serie B last term.

Following a goaless draw between the teams at Stadio Rigamonti, Brescia were beaten 2-0 in Venice, and after finishing eighth in the league table, they later lost to Catanzaro in the playoffs.

Most recently relegated from Serie A in 2020, the Lombardy club are owned by former Leeds United chief Massimo Cellino, and it has been a tumultuous time since their demotion, with a series of coaches coming and going in the vain search for success.

Now, the Rondinelle are led by vastly experienced coach Rolando Maran, who has overseen two wins and two draws in pre-season matches this summer.

Maran's men started August with victory over Genoa, before playing their final friendly against Renate last weekend, coming back from two goals down to draw, thanks to goals from Gennaro Borrelli and Lorenzo Dickmann.

Brescia pre-season form:

Venezia pre-season form:

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Team News

In addition to the ongoing transfer whispers surrounding Tanner Tessmann, who is apparently wanted by both Fiorentina and Inter Milan, his compatriot Gianluca Busio has been ruled out for several weeks by injury.

The Venezia midfielder was forced off in the USA's Olympics match against New Zealand and could now be missing until the first international break.

Nonetheless, new signings Alfred Duncan and Gaetano Oristanio should both be available to start in Eusebio Di Francesco's first competitive outing.

Brescia, meanwhile, have reinforced their squad with young defender Gabriele Calvani and Ante Matej Juric, a striker signed from Croatian club Gorica.

With Andrea Cistana and Davide Adorni both sidelined by injury, Rolando Maran deployed Dimitri Bisoli in defence for the recent draw with Renate - before Calvani's arrival, Andrea Papetti was the Rondinelle's only available centre-back.

Club captain Bisoli could return to the hosts' midfield on Sunday, while Juric and Gabriele Moncini should lead the line up front.

Brescia possible starting lineup:

Andrenacci; Dickmann, Calvani, Papetti, Jallow; Bisoli, Bjarnason, Paghera; Galazzi, Juric, Moncini

Venezia possible starting lineup:

Joronen; Idzes, Svoboda, Sverko; Zampano, Duncan, Lella, Crnigoj, Candela; Pierini, Gytkjaer

We say: Brescia 1-2 Venezia

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