Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: Hellas Verona vs. Venezia - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 2 October 2024, 08:02
Aiming to end a three-match losing streak, Hellas Verona will welcome Serie A strugglers Venezia to Stadio Bentegodi on Friday evening.

The regional rivals are separated by just two points in the standings, so victory for the visitors would take them above their hosts and out of the drop zone.

Match preview

After starting the season in style with a comprehensive win over Napoli, Verona have since slipped down the table, and another defeat last weekend followed on from reverses against both Torino and Lazio.

Having just suffered back-to-back league losses for the first time since January, the Gialloblu fell behind shortly before half time against Como, but after they equalised from a Darko Lazovic penalty, hope was renewed.

However, Tomas Suslov then received a hotly disputed second yellow card, and down to 10 men, Verona conceded twice more and ultimately left Lombardy empty-handed following a 3-2 defeat.

Occupying 14th place in the table, with six points from as many matches, Paolo Zanetti's side will now try to avoid a fourth straight loss, as the former Venezia coach meets up with his old club on Friday.

Zanetti was in charge of Verona's next visitors when the teams last met in Serie A: back in February 2022, the Scaligeri came out on top at the Bentegodi, with Giovanni Simeone helping himself to a hat-trick.

In fact, Verona beat Venezia in both games when the Arancioneroverdi were most recently in Italy's top tier, scoring seven times against Zanetti's relegation-bound side.

After Paolo Vanoli led them back up from Serie B last season he departed for Torino, so Eusebio Di Francesco - a former Verona coach - is now tasked with keeping the Lagunari afloat.

Amid talk of his dismissal, the latter supposedly rescued his job by finally producing a first win of the current campaign against Genoa two weeks ago, but Venezia suffered another setback last weekend.

Their 2-1 defeat against another of Di Francesco's old clubs, Roma, was particularly hard to take, because Joel Pohjanpalo's opening goal was only equalised when Bryan Cristante's long-range effort took a wicked deflection off Gianluca Busio and looped over stranded goalkeeper Jesse Joronen; then, the home side snatched a late winner.

That loss leaves them in 19th place on just four points, also extending a dismal record on the road in Serie A: stretching back to their last stay in the top flight, Venezia find themselves on an 11-game winless streak away from home.

Hellas Verona Serie A form:

W

L

W

L

L

L

Venezia Serie A form:

L

D

L

L

W

L

Team News

Verona will have two men missing for this Veneto derby due to disciplinary reasons, as Pawel Dawidowicz must sit out the second game of a two-match ban, while Tomas Suslov is suspended after his red card against Como.

Suat Serdar, Abdou Harroui and Juan Cruz are all sidelined by injury, but aside from deciding who will replace Suslov on the right flank, Paolo Zanetti's main dilemma relates to who will start up front.

Benfica loanee Casper Tengstedt is the man in possession, but Colombian striker Daniel Mosquera is the Scaligeri's top scorer this term with three goals.

Meanwhile, Venezia's main threat comes from captain Joel Pohjanpalo, who has found the net in back-to-back games and was the Lagunari's leading goalscorer in Serie B last season.

Alfred Duncan remains a doubt due to a muscular problem, while Giorgio Altare and Bjarki Bjarkason are still out of action and will return after the international break.

Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:

Montipo; Tchatchoua, Daniliuc, Coppola, Frese; Duda, Belahyane; Livramento, Kastanos, Lazovic; Tengstedt

Venezia possible starting lineup:

Joronen; Idzes, Svoboda, Candela; Zampano, Ellertsson, Nicolussi Caviglia, Haps; Busio, Oristanio; Pohjanpalo

We say: Hellas Verona 1-1 Venezia

These two local rivals may be engaged in a long relegation struggle for most of this season, so there will be some tension surrounding Friday's clash.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea.