Genoa-Venezia is a friendly and is played on Saturday at 17:00: news, stats, TV, streaming, likely line-ups, predictions
The enthusiasm for promotion has not yet died down at home to Genoa. The Rossoblù, back in Serie A after just one year in purgatory, want to try and raise the bar.
The club are moving decisively in the market and have now closed the deal for the Italo-Argentine striker Mateo Retegui, who suddenly made headlines last spring when he was called up by Italian national team selector Roberto Mancini. It is not yet official, but the oriundo is expected to leave Argentina in the coming hours and join his new teammates in the Moena training camp. He will be awaited with open arms by coach Alberto Gilardino, one of the main protagonists of the Grifone’s immediate rise to the top flight. The former AC Milan and Fiorentina striker, who took over from the exonerated Blessin in December, helped kick-start the comeback after a less than exciting first part of the championship. Gilardino, in short, deserved his reconfirmation, and on 19 August he will have the opportunity to make his debut in Serie A as coach against one of his former teams, Fiorentina.
His Genoa team wants to arrive prepared for the appointment and that is why they are trying to put minutes in their legs in the various pre-season friendlies.
Venezia players in training
After the test against Fassa Calcio, which ended 12-0, the red and blue were supposed to face the Austrian Wsg Tirol. But the violent cloudburst that hit the sports centre in Moena prevented the match from taking place. It will therefore be Venezia, a team that plays in the cadet division, to face the Ligurians, who got the better of the Lagooners in the last Serie B championship both in the first leg and in the return (1-2 and 1-0). Paolo Vanoli’s men are aiming to at least play again in the playoffs after being eliminated in the first round last May against Cagliari in a drawn game.
The prediction
The feeling is that we will witness a very balanced match, despite the category difference. Both teams should score at least one goal each.
Genoa v Venice likely line-up
- GENOA (3-5-2): Martinez; Bani, Vogliacco, Biraschi; Sabelli, Badelj, Frendrup, Jagiello, Martin; Coda, Yalcin.
- VENEZIA (3-5-2): Joronen; Idzes, Modolo, Svoboda; Candela, Fiordilino, Ellertsson, Tessmann, Zampano; Pohjanpalo, Pierini.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
