Genoa vs Torino
Two teams who have high hopes in the Serie A will go head-to-head this weekend as Genoa host Torino at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.
Both Genoa and Torino are aiming to bounce back after experiencing lacklustre starts to kick off their respective campaigns in the 2020/21 season.
After winning comprehensively against a newly-promoted side in Crotone, Genoa suffered a brutal beating against Napoli in the last time out.
Meanwhile, Torino have yet to grab a win this season with back-to-back losses against Fiorentina and Atalanta.
In this upcoming match, the home team isn’t favoured to win because of recent developments. However, Torino would be wise to not let down their guard as it will be hard to count their opponents out.
Can Il Toro finally secure their first victory of the season? Or will I Rossoblu make it two straight wins at home?
As always, SBOTOP has you covered with the latest Serie A 2020 updates in this match preview.
Talking Points
Genoa decimated by COVID-19
If Genoa would have it their way, they would prefer to reschedule this upcoming match to a later date due to unforeseen circumstances.
I Rossoblu confirmed that 14 people from their club tested positive for the coronavirus which would leave them undermanned for this upcoming match.
The UEFA rulebook states that a minimum of 13 healthy players is required for a match to take place which includes a goalkeeper.
But since most of their men would need to go through self-isolation, Genoa are fearful that they might default come Sunday.
“We are all in home quarantine. The local health authorities have stopped us. We cannot play Saturday against Torino even with 13 players available,” said Genoa sporting director Daniele Faggani.
The positive COVID-19 tests were confirmed before they were beaten badly by a resurgent Napoli, 6-0, in the last time out. Goalkeeper Mattia Perin and midfielder Lasse Schone were confirmed to be first to have contracted the virus and they missed the said game.
On the other hand, Napoli announced last Wednesday that none of their team members tested positive for the swab tests.
Torino need one more striker
Il Toro just escaped the drop zone last year and they need to do much better if they want to maintain their top-flight status in the long haul.
They finished at 16th place and it was their lowest finish since being relegated in 18th back in the 2008/09 campaign.
An area that will definitely need some work for Torino is their attacking department as they’ve only registered 46 goals last term.
First things first, Torino would need to hold on to their star striker in Andrea Belotti, who led the team with 16 goals last season.
Because of his superb campaign, Belotti has been garnering significant interest from various teams in Europe.
Tottenham has been linked to the 26-year-old and talks have been progressing so far. Meanwhile, Torino have contacted player agent Jorge Mendes over a potential deal for Benfica forward Chiquinho.
Chiquinho looks to be a suitable replacement if ever Andrea Belotti leaves, but Torino would much prefer to have these two in the roster together.
History
I Rossoblu and Il Toro have locked horns in 29 matches so far in Serie A.
Torino hold the slight edge with 11 wins while Genoa won in eight along with 10 draws.
You can’t expect these two to light up the scoreboard on every chance they get as they’ve averaged only 2.52 goals per match historically. Save for their last meeting in July, neither scored more than once in the last three matches.
Torino have gotten the better of Genoa recently as the latter has yet to win in this matchup for more than three years.
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