Ten previews for subscribers today and I think that I will post a couple on the website this afternoon ...........

 

Serie A : Carpi-Hellas Verona

 

I previewed Verona's home defeat to Lazio five weeks ago, speaking about their injury problems and their need to score a minimum two goals to get a result from any game........

Hosts are without a cleansheet in 12 and have won just once in 16 starts without scoring three goals, they kind of need two to get a point and three to win and their chances of doing either today are severely hampered by the loss of Luca Toni (pictured), Rafael Marquez and Emil Hallfredsson. Veteran striker Toni was top scorer last season with 22 goals , Verona have failed to score in three of the last four matches he has missed and they have won just five times since the start of the 13/14 season without a goal or assist from their offensive leader.They have lost 58% + of starts that the Icelandic midfielder has missed over the same period and without the ancient central defender, they are 2-5-6, conceding 19 goals in the last 9. That is a lot of experience they are missing and in all areas of the pitch.
 

Then a fortnight ago ahead of a home game with Udinese, about their inability to see out games............

Verona (see preview above) have Rafael Marquez and Emil Hallfredsson back now, but remain without key striker Luca Toni, his loss is big and they just do not pose the same kind of goal threat in his absence, they are also without young defensive midfielder Federico Viviani, but perhaps the most worrying thing of all, is that they are simply not seeing out games . We have already discussed today how they blew a lead and lost to the ten men of Lazio late in the game and the ten goals that Verona have conceded this season have ALL come in the second half ! Given that Udinese have already posted two second half road wins and won 1-0 here last year with a goal after the break and claimed a point after traling at half time the season before, there is a strong case for the visitors again taking control of this in the second period.
 

They led at the break there , but lost the second half 1-0 with the match playing out prefectly for us.
 

No Toni or Viviani  again today and defensively things are simply not working, without a clean sheet in 18 they appear no closer to finding a solution, having shipped six goals in their last two starts. At least today they meet a fellow struggler in Carpi who are the only team below Hellas in the table and they have themselves conconded seven in three and two of those starts came versus bottom four teams.Two struggling teams almost always means goals, which is a long term clubgowi mantra and it is difficult to see either team keeping a clean sheet against any opponent right now. Already five points from safety, a draw is not going to help either team and neither is going to get a better opportunity to kick start a survival bid.