Rossoblù outclassed by AC Milan

Serie A returned to action on Wednesday with the premier match between Genoa and AC Milan at Milan turning into a stroll in the park for the hosts with a classy 5-2 victory. With the result, the Rossoneri hold down second place in the Serie A table, a point above Juventus and eight points off runaway leader Inter whilst Genoa disappointing campaign sees them to the bottom half of the table, now in the thirteenth spot.

The Rossoblù welcomed new man David Suazo to the starting eleven, though they were without Raffaele Palladino, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and long term absentee Boško Janković. However Milan, who welcomed David Beckham back on-loan until seasons-end, were in complete control from the opening and sliced the Genoa midfield apart with piercing runs.

The thirty-four year-old David Beckham, pressed into a more attacking role with Alexandre Pato and Clarence Seedorf out with injuries, served notice that time has not robbed him of attacking ingenuity. The match started with the former England captain sending a seeing eye cross from the right to Marco Borriello but Genoa 'keeper Marco Amelia made a brilliant save to deny the striker from point blank range. The heart pounding start continued and two minutes shy of the quarter-hour mark Giuseppe Biava was adjudged a penalty for bringing down Massimo Ambrosini in the area. However, the Rossoneri saw their chance come up empty as Ronaldinho’s effort to his right was denied by the sprawling Genoa 'keeper. Despite the miss, Milan continued to pour forward in a relentless attack but after an errant effort by David Beckham, Genoa notched the surprise go-ahead goal at the twenty-fourth minute as Giuseppe Sculli crept in at the back post to head Rodrigo Palacio's cross. The lead did not last long as seven minutes later Ronaldinho converted from the spot after Massimo Ambrosini was tripped-up in the area by the Genoa 'keeper. With the match now level, there was no holding back Milan and seven minutes prior to the break, Thiago Silva latched onto a loose ball in close range before driving it to the back of the net.

If there was any talk of Genoa mounting a comeback after the break, that was put to rest three minutes in as Ronaldinho linked the ball to Luca Antonini who provided Marco Borriello the chance for a close-range finish, which he made no mistake to give Milan the 3-1 lead. Milan was running roughshod over the clearly outmatched Rossoblù and on the hour Marco Borriello made it 4-1 with a splendid volley of Luca Antonini's cross. Milan manager Leonardo ushered in underused Klaas-Jan Huntelaar into the match and after Marco Rossi adjudged a penalty for mauling Ronaldinho, down to the ground the former Ajax sharpshooter converted from the spot to make it 5-1. Five minutes later David Suazo notched a fine consolation goal for Genoa but that would not defer the celebration of AC Milan as they posted a confident 5-2 victory.

The Rossoneri return to action on Sunday, as they travel to Turin to face Juventus whilst Genoa look to regain their winning form against Catania at the Marassi.

prepared by J. Davies

Genoa revamps lineup

After finishing fifth in Serie A Genoa has went through a radical re-working of its lineup. Staring down a spot in the Europa League playoff round Club president Enrico Preziosi has worked hard to compensate for the losses of Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter Milan as well the anticipated departure of Matteo Ferrari to Turkish side Besiktas. While few will suggest that the Rossoblù can replace the loss of Il Principe and many will question the behind the scenes rationale for the move, Mr. Preziosi has insisted there are many more “perle sul piatto”.

To continue reading, please visit Europa League News.

Boško Janković leads Genoa to victory past Torino

Quite possibly doubt will be cast aside now as after today’s brilliant performance, Boško Janković proved he is worthy of being a fixture in the starting grid. At twenty-four years of age the Serbian international displays a textbook two-way play, high work-rate as well as a creative flourish and displayed each these attributes to the letter leading Genoa to a 3-0 victory over Torino. As the temperature dipped at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, the Rossoblu took the lead eighteen minutes in as Giuseppe Biava charged into the box to aggressively head in Ivan Jurić’s corner. Lusting for goals, Genoa answered the call as a few minutes after the break Giuseppe Sculli sent a cross for the ex-Crvena zvezda man Boško Janković to which he sent past Torino ‘keeper Matteo Sereni with resolve. With the two goal margin, Genoa wisely looked to lock down the match, bringing in Anthony Vanden Borre for Rubén Olivera on the hour and for the most part nullified Torino’s opportunities. However with six minutes remaining Thiago Motta added the third of the afternoon to bring the match to its final 3-0 scoreline.

With the victory, Genoa levels itself with fourth-place Fiorentina at thirty points. They return to action against Inter in the Coppa Italia before returning to Serie A play against Lecce next Sunday.

Genoa v Bologna match preview

As Genoa continue to tempt the upper reaches of Serie A, there will be obvious challenges from the elite clubs but equally those matches considered as ones where they can't afford to drop points. With Bologna visiting Stadio Luigi Ferraris, this is not only one of "those" matches where points can't be dropped but additionally one that could provide a series of problems.

Amongst the backdrop of historic Bologna, the club has been languishing at the bottom of the Serie A table after being promoted last year. Yet with little fanfare, earlier this month the management of the club made one of best tactical moves of the year bringing in Siniša Mihajlović from Inter. With a career that started with legendary clubs FK Vojvodina and Crvena zvezda Mr. Mihajlović is a managerial up and comer in the sport and the perfect man to drive Bologna out of the relegation zone. Incredibly over the last three matches the club seems to have already channeled his gritty demeanor and squeezed out 1-1 draws to Roma, Siena and Palermo.

With this in-mind, Genoa needs to scrap all scouting reports pre his arrival and realize Stadio Luigi Ferraris is the setting for a battle. For those who appreciate the finer aspects of the beautiful game, such as hard-tackling and every blade of grass fought-for, this will be your match to watch on Sunday. While I am more than aware Gian Piero Gasperini's side have yet to drop points at home, this match must be treated with special care if they are to keep that streak alive.

On the injury front Genoa will be without the services of Giandomenico Mesto, Francesco Modesto, Matteo Paro and Marcel Román for the match whilst Siniša Mihajlović's forces are missing Massimo Marazzina, Gabriele Paonessa and Sergio Volpi.

Bologna will go forward in a 4-4-1-1 formation with the following possible lineup:

Francesco Antonioli
Cristian Zenoni,Claudio Terzi, Vangelis Moras,Salvatore Lanna
Coelho, Nicola Mingazzini, Gaby Mudingayi, Francesco Valiani
Davide Marchini
Marco Di Vaio

Recommended formation for Genoa would
Genoa
Rubinho
Sokratis Papastathopoulos,Matteo Ferrari,Giuseppe Biava/Salvatore Bocchetti
Marco Rossi,Omar Milanetto,Ivan Jurić,Anthony Vanden Borre/Boško Janković
Giuseppe Sculli,Diego Milito, Raffaele Palladino/Andrea Gasbarroni/Boško Janković

The final decision on the lineup must equally be based upon weather conditions as heavy rain could slow play considerably.

I will report on the match as it concludes

another step forward against Lazio

The Rossoblu took another great step forward as they came within a whisper of defeating Lazio before settling for 1-1 draw. Following the recent 4-1 demolition at the hands of Juventus, Genoa needed to make a stand and come up big against Lazio, which is precisely what they did. The match start with Gian Piero Gasperini's side on their heels, defending against a steady attack which kept most of the play in the final third of their end. However with a firm defensive stance they were able to hold back Lazio's efforts by not allowing a final good look towards 'keeper Rubinho. Near the half-hour mark Mourad Meghni missed a glorious opportunity to open the scoring opportunity for the hosts but in alone on the Genoa goal he shot wide. Genoa looked to have the lead five minutes before the half as Anthony Vanden Borre's perfectly placed cross found Diego Milito for an easy goal but in a fit of madness the linesman raised the flag and eliminated the score. Seven minutes after the break, Genoa received the benefit of a penalty call as Swiss international Stephan Lichtsteiner adjudged to fouling Giuseppe Sculli. However Diego Milito provided Lazio a lifeline as his shot soared over the crossbar. Finally with twenty-one minutes remaining Genoa opened the scoring, preying upon a defensive blunder with Anthony Vanden Borre crossing to Diego Milito for a textbook finish to the back of the net. However visions of the three points drifted away for Genoa with ten minutes remaining with Lazio's Ousmane Dabo level the match scoring from long-range in what should have been a easy save. While Genoa will look back on a number of missed opportunities including Raffaele Palladino close-range blunder with eleven minutes remaining, it was a notable step in the clubs affirmation that it can play with the best and a legitimate threat for a European spot.

the great challenge of Lazio

As I look back over the Serie A campaign there have been many brilliant surprises and a few disappointments. On the negative side, I'm hoping to see my Sicilian friends Reggina scramble up the table and this nonsense of Roma being near the bottom of the table ends shortly and is never uttered again. Of course on the opposite end of the equation there are many great stories to-date, including the return of Napoli and Lazio to playing with the best of the league.

Lazio has put together a rock solid plan of attack and at its foundation is being very stingy of giving up points at home. This conversely points into Genoa's great weakness, the ability to play away from Stadio Luigi Ferraris. While on the surface this match features the most explosive attacks in Serie A, Genoa has been far from terrifying away from home with only four goals in six matches. Notions of an fireworks filled match certainly doesn't have precedent with Genoa on the road and Gian Piero Gasperini is likely to employ a highly defensive stance in this match.

For the match Lazio will be without Boca Junior product Cristian Ledesma and Tricolorii-capped Ştefan Radu who are both in the sin-bin while the Rossoblu are still be missing Giandomenico Mesto and Francesco Modesto to injury.

Key for Genoa is the back-line work of Matteo Ferrari, Giuseppe Biava and Domenico Criscito controlling the powerful Lazio attack with Vélez Sársfield product Mauro Zárate producing at an electrifying pace. Excluding the Juventus match Gian Piero Gasperini has preferred to use a more defensive strategy on the road. Given the fall-out of that match I expect a return to that approach with the following lineup:

Genoa
Rubinho
Giuseppe Biava/Salvatore Bocchetti,Matteo Ferrari,Domenico Criscito
Marco Rossi,Thiago Motta,Ivan Jurić,Giuseppe Sculli/Boško Janković
Raffaele Palladino, Diego Milito,Andrea Gasbarroni/Boško Janković

I will report on it as it concludes.

Juventus wins with style

The challenge of Juventus was too much for Genoa as the great Serie A club came up with a masterful performance on the way to a 4-1 victory in which they outplayed the Rossoblu in every aspect of play. Claudio Ranieri’s Juventus opened the scoring only six minutes into the match with Zdenek Grygera's brilliant drive from a tight angle. Only twenty minutes later Juventus scored with a highly professional cross by Zdenek Grygera headed-in by Amauri. To Genoa's credit they didn't wilt and certainly many will question the accuracy of a offside call that disqualified a Diego Milito goal and a wayward Andrea Gasbarroni cross clanged off the post but they were unable to find a goal to the later stages. With five minutes remaining in the match Alessandro Del Piero sent a perfect pass to Vincenzo Iaquinta who calmly stroked it into the net from twelve meters. Finally with penalty called on Nicola Legrottaglie for a hand-ball, Diego Milito scored from the spot but deep into added time Sokratis Papastrathopoulos was the unfortunate victim of a own goal to bring the match to its final 4-1 score-line.

Genoa returns to action a week Sunday against Lazio.

a short drive to Torino and a big challenge

With the success of the Rossoblu the short drive to Torino to face Claudio Ranieri's Juventus is the next big challenge for the club to face if they are to make their way into upper tier of Serie A.

At present Juventus sits directly above Genoa in sixth place with twenty-one points yet with the exception of a two-match stumble against Palermo and Napoli, they have been nearly unstoppable. Over the previous six matches, including Champions League, they have yet to drop a point including victories over Real Madrid and Roma with Alessandro Del Piero experiencing a brilliant renaissance that reminds us his artistry a decade ago. While they have been without the services of the legendary Gigi Buffon since the Palermo loss, Austrian international Alexander Manninger has filled-in with top-shelf 'keeping and has kept the opposition of the score-sheet for the previous three matches.

Genoa's task against the Bianconeri must not only deal with one of the hottest clubs in all of European football but equally their own problems of playing away from Stadio Luigi Ferraris. While recent road performances have shown significant improvements, they still need to register their first victory on the road if they are to climb into a European spot.

Gian Piero Gasperini will be without Giandomenico Mesto,Omar Milanetto,Francesco Modesto and Matteo Paro for the match. On the road he has shown a more defensive strategy using ex-Crvena Zvezda man Boško Janković in either a striker or wing position. I expect them to employ the following lineup:

Genoa
Rubinho
Giuseppe Biava/Salvatore Bocchetti,Matteo Ferrari,Domenico Criscito
Marco Rossi,Thiago Motta,Ivan Jurić,Giuseppe Sculli/Boško Janković
Raffaele Palladino, Diego Milito,Andrea Gasbarroni/Boško Janković

I will report on it as it concludes.

Diego Milito leads Genoa to 4-0 victory over Reggina

Genoa continued its winning ways with a powerful 4-0 victory over Reggina at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. The visiting Amaranto put forth a strong defensive display and for the part nullified Genoa's attack. However before the break Reggina's Andrea Costa was excused with his second yellow-card, handicapping them for the balance of the match a man down. At the fifty-fourth minute Edgar Barreto was adjudged to fouling Andrea Gasbarroni in the area and a penalty was awarded. Diego Milito stepped-up and converted the penalty to give the Rossoblu the 1-0 lead. Reggina's resolve was noteworthy as goals were at a premium and it wasn't until the seventy-fourth minute that Andrea Gasbarroni's corner was rattled around the box and Diego Milito poached on loose ball to double the score. Five minutes later with Reggina trying to claw back into the match Giuseppe Sculli added his name to the score-sheet with a drive from 15 meters. As time was running-out Diego Milito garnered his third goal of the day from close range.

With the victory Genoa stands seventh in the table, four points behind table leader Inter Milan. They return to action against Juventus on Thursday.

Genoa
Rubinho
Salvatore Bocchetti(Anthony Vanden Borre 66'),Matteo Ferrari,Giuseppe Biava
Marco Rossi,Ivan Jurić,Thiago Motta,Giandomenico Mesto (Andrea Gasbarroni 49')
Raffaele Palladino (Ruben Olivera 82'), Diego Milito,Giuseppe Sculli

Reggina
Andrea Campagnolo
Carlos Valdez,Santos,Bruno Cirillo
Andrea Costa,Carlos Carmona,Edgar Barreto,Luca Vigiani (Fabio Ceravolo 82')
Bernardo Corradi (Đorđe Rakić 68'),Francesco Cozza (Antonino Barillà 59'),Franco Brienza

Genoa - Reggina match preview

After surviving relegation last season, Reggina is in a terrible sorts as they sit at the bottom of the Serie A table with only five points in ten matches. Nevio Orlandi's club have been sliced apart defending, having problems finding the net and additionally without a single point away from home. While the campaign is only a quarter way through, the club needs to take immediate action or they will find themselves relegated. They do possess a series of very talented players, most notably veteran striker Bernardo Corradi and a hidden gem in Đorđe Rakić, if he is given the time to acclimate to his surroundings.

Genoa comes into the match trying its best to maintain a sense of calm as they are in uncharted waters at seventh in the table. While Reggina has yet to win on the road the Rossoblu have yet to drop a point. Gian Piero Gasperini will be without Omar Milanetto, Matteo Paro and Francesco Modesto for the match but welcomes Sokratis Papastaphopoulos back from the sin-bin. Diego Milito's extraordinary form continues as one of the top producers in Italy this campaign and will look to get off the mark fast against Reggina.

Gian Piero Gasperini is likely to use the following formation:

Genoa
Rubinho
Giuseppe Biava/Sokratis Papastrathopoulos, Matteo Ferrari, Salvatore Bocchetti/Giuseppe Biava
Marco Rossi,Thiago Motta,Ivan Jurić,Giandomenico Mesto/Boško Janković
Giuseppe Sculli,Diego Milito, Andrea Gasbarroni/Raffaele Palladino

Enjoy the match and I will report upon it as it concludes.

Spartak Moscow falls to Udinese at Luzhniki

After a triumphant victory over CSKA Moscow this weekend, confidence around Spartak Moscow was riding high. However Serie A Udinese brought a taste of reality back to the legendary Moscow club with a confident 2-1 victory at Luzhniki. Spartak looked to be on firm footing in the early stages of the match but at the twelve minute mark a Giovanni Pasquale volley into the box bounced off Clemente Rodríguez's back and arguably off Fabio Quagliarella arm before the Azzurri capped sharpshooter, turned and fired the ball past Stipe Pletikosa. Five minutes later Clemente Rodríguez made amends for the unfortunate error and leveled the match as he volleyed in Aleksandr Pavlenko's corner. However on the hour mark Clemente was adjudged to fouling Simone Pepe in the area and the spot was pointed-to. Fabio Quagliarella continued his heroics and stepped to give Udinese the 2-1 victory. Myaso pressed for the equalizer, narrowly missing with Vladimir Bystrov's effort the the seventy-fifth minute but the Serie A club held for the victory.

Genoa plays to draw against Udinese

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Rossoblu extraordinary campaign took another step forward as they played Udinese to a 2-2 draw at at Stadio Friuli. With the draw, Genoa sit seventh in the Seria A table, five points behind first-place AC Milan, after after ten matches.

The match started in dubious fashion as only four minutes after the start Domenico Criscito was adjudged of fouling Antonio Floro Flores in the penalty area and the spot being pointed to. Gaetano D'Agostino converted to give the Bianconeri the quick 1-0 lead. Quickly Genoa went on the attack and establish a stunning rate of play that would see them control possession of the ball the majority of the match, whilst displaying efficient and accurate passing. Udinese 'keeper Samir Handanovic was stellar between the pipes, making a case for man-of-the-match as he robbed an array of assaults for the opposition. Efforts by Diego Milito at the sixth-minute, Andrea Gasbarroni at the thirtieth and Diego once again before the break seemed destined for the net but he managed to cull their attempts. Finally four minutes past the hour mark with a penalty being awarded on Aleksandar Lukovic foul of Anthony Vanden Borre, Diego Milito stepped-up to the spot and brought the match level. Giuseppe Sculli, who had come in for Boško Janković at the sixty-first minute mark after the young Serbian international had played a memorable match, scored with nineteen minutes remaining. With the score 2-1 both clubs made careful chess moves, Pasquale Marino calling upon Antonio Di Natale with Gian Piero Gasperini bringing in Giuseppe Biava. The home squads move paid off as with twelve minutes remaining as Azzurri'capped Fabio Quagliarella sent Simone Pepe's cross to the back of the net. With the match now level at two both squads pushed forward but all efforts stayed out of the goal and the match ended even.

Genoa welcomes our good friends of Reggio Calabria to Stadio Luigi Ferraris next Sunday.

Rossoblu continue to climb with victory over Cagliari

Genoa continues to climb up the Serie A table with a 2-1 victory over Cagliari at Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Following the victory the Rossoblu sit only four points behind co-leaders Udinese and Napoli and sets up an enormous battle against Pasquale Marino's Bianconeri this Sunday.

Spirits were high in Genoa but to the surprise of the home fans, it was Cagliari threatening first. The visitors nearly got the first off the mark first with Diego López only minutes after the match began and later at the twenty minute mark when Andrea Parola narrowly missed a volley from a corner. However mid the first half Giandomenico Mesto threaded a pass to Sokratis Papastrathopoulos in-close and the young Greek international did not fail with the finish. With a few squandered opportunities behind them, Genoa doubled the margin when Diego Milito linked a perfect set-up to Thiago Motta eleven minutes after the break. However an easy finish for the home squad was not in the offing as Paolo Bianco poached a rebound of Michele Fini's free-kick. With the score now 2-1, Cagliari was controlling play but were reduced to ten-men with thirteen minutes remaining when Michele Fini was excused with his second yellow card in six minutes. Gian Piero Gasperini called upon Gian Piero Gasperini at the eight-second minute to successfully kill the match off and Genoa continued their home streak of five wins this campaign.

Genoa holds Inter Milan to nil draw

Gian Piero Gasperini's Rossoblu continued on their re-birth holding Inter Milan scoreless at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza while playing a man down the last half hour with Ivan Jurić excused after his second yellow-card.

Before the break, Genoa displayed an eye towards a victory and were clearly the aggressor in the attacking end with Nerazzurri unable to break-through the determined visitors. The match started with a quick pace that suggested goals were imminent. Twenty minutes after the opening whistle Ivan Jurić's slick cross to Diego Milito was headed-on but Inter 'keeper Júlio César easily handled. Thirty-five minutes into the match Genoa squandered another opportunity to score as Thiago Motta was in perfect position to poach a rebound but his attempt went astray at the match went to the break scoreless.

At the re-start José Mourinho, obviously annoyed by the lack of production up-front double substituted Adriano and Ricardo Quaresma for Mario Balotelli and Victor Obinna respectively. Tension ran hot and with a number of harsh challenges, yellow cards began to add up. This cost Genoa dearly as at the sixtieth minute Ivan Jurić received his second yellow and Rossoblu were down a man. Tactically Genoa had to respond and Anthony Vanden Borre was brought in for Giuseppe Sculli. However with the advantage Inter Milan slowly began to assert itself and with pressure continuing Gian Piero Gasperini called upon the hard-working ex-Crvena Zvezda man Boško Janković for Diego Milito. The defending strategy worked and with the final piece to the puzzle coming in the form of Salvatore Bocchetti for Marco Rossi with seven minutes remaining the Rossoblu's heavy work-rate and tenacity paid off as they held Inter Milan at bay for a nil draw.

Genoa returns to Serie A action this Wednesday welcoming our friends Cagliari from beautiful Sardinia.

Genoa
Rubinho
Matteo Ferrari, Giuseppe Biava,Sokratis Papastrathopoulos
Domenico Criscito,Ivan Jurić,Thiago Motta,Giandomenico Mesto
Giuseppe Sculli (Anthony Vanden Borre 64'),Diego Milito (Boško Janković 78'),Marco Rossi (Salvatore Bocchetti 83')

Inter Milan
Júlio César,Nicolas Burdisso,Ivan Cordoba,Cristian Chivu,Maicon,Dejan Stanković,Sulley Muntar (Julio Cruz 55'),Javier Zanetti,Adriano (Mario Balotelli 45'),Zlatan Ibrahimović,Ricardo Quaresma (Victor Nsofor Obinna 45')

Genoa defeats Sienna 1-0

Rossoblu supporters can celebrate as they have climbed with two points of the top of the Seria A table with a close 1-0 victory over Siena today at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

The lone goal of the match came twenty minutes in when a Ivan Jurić cross into the box was headed in by Giuseppe Biava. With a 1-0 lead Genoa continued to pressure although Sienna's defensive resolve was impossible to break down. Ten minutes before the break, Genoa narrowly missed doubling the lead with Raffaele Palladino and Diego Milito attempts saved brilliantly by Sienna 'keeper Gianluca Curci. The match went to the break 1-0 with notable mention of Genoa's back-line of Matteo Ferrari,Giuseppe Biava and Salvatore Bocchetti performing yeoman duty.

After the break the battle resumed in the midfield and it isn't till the seventieth minute before Sienna's attack begins to inspire. With seventeen minutes remaining Daniele Galloppa narrowly misses leveling the match as his shot from inside the box rattles off off the post. Moments later Massimo Maccarone comes close but once again Sienna's efforts fall short. Through the balance of the match serious efforts are few and far between and after five minutes of added time the match concludes with Genoa winning 1-0.

Genoa returns to action next Saturday against Inter Milan.

Genoa
Rubinho
Salvatore Bocchetti,Matteo Ferrari,Giuseppe Biava
Domenico Criscito,Ivan Jurić,Omar Milanetto (Thiago Motta 15'),Giandomenico Mesto (Andrea Gasbarroni 53')
Raffaele Palladino (Marcel Romàn 68'),Diego Milito,Giuseppe Sculli

Siena
Gianluca Curci,Daniele Portanova,Daniele Ficagna (Andrea Rossi 80'),Manuel Coppola (Abdelkader Ghezzal 56'),Cristiano Del Grosso,Luca Rossettini,Houssine Kharja,Daniele Galloppa,Simone Vergassola,Massimo Maccarone,Mario Frick (Emanuele Calaiò 60')

Genoa - Sienna match preview

Marco Giampaolo's Bianconeri visit Stadio Luigi Ferraris in a important mid-table match. With the clubs locked only a point a part in the tight Serie A race, hopes of European bids rely on victories such as these. Truthfully both clubs are in suffering from a common issue of mid-table squads, whereby level of play is radically different than at home as opposed to the road. Genoa has won each of its three matches at home, scoring an impressive eight goals in three matches. However on the road their goal scoring prowess has disappeared as they found the net once, losing all three away matches. Sienna's not quite the same "Jekyll and Hyde" level, although they have yet to allow a goal at home as opposed to four on the road.

Sienna is coming off a 1-0 victory over Roma just before the international break and buoyed with confidence on their tactically efficient play. Marco Giampaolo will certainly be aware of Genoa's flowing tactical lines at home and look to cut that off sharply. Their efforts will be greatly assisted as the Rossoblu are without Francesco Modesto, Matteo Paro and Thiago Motta as well as Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Marco Rossi to suspension. The continued growth of Serbia international, ex-Crvena Zvezda man, Boško Janković will likely see him penciled into the following starting grid:

Rubinho
Giuseppe Biava, Matteo Ferrari, Domenico Criscito
Giandomenico Mesto, Omar Milanetto, Ivan Jurić, Giuseppe Sculli
Boško Janković, Diego Milito, Raffaele Palladino

Sienna is likely to employ a 4-3-1-2 with Moroccan Houssine Kharja supporting the striking tandem of Mario Frick and predator / striker Massimo Maccarone. Genoa's back-line defense will need to keep a keen eye towards Massimo or he will quickly change Sienna's away-match fortunes. One of the great stories of the early Serie A season is unquestionably Diego Milito, who will look to continue his goal scoring prowess from where he left off at the break.

Genoa - Napoli match preview

Following a late come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Ravenna in the Coppa Italia, the Rossoblu welcome Napoli to Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Edoardo Reja's club has been one of the great surprises of the early Serie A season, maintaining their unbeaten string with tactically brilliant Football.

Gian Piero Gasperini is dealing with a host of injuries that will have a dramatic impact upon the lineup. Match-time fitness tests will determine the eventual lineup but Genoa is likely to be without Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Potenza and Andrea Gasbarroni with Omar Milanetto, Raffaele Palladino and Diego Milito questionable.

Presuming the striking group is healthy I am expecting Genoa to use the following lineup in a 3-4-3:

Rubinho
Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Giuseppe Biava, Domenico Criscito
Marco Rossi/Giandomenico Mesto, Anthony Vanden Borre/Omar Milanetto, Ivan Jurić, Francesco Modesto/Boško Janković
Andrea Gasbarroni/Raffaele Palladino, Diego Milito, Giuseppe Sculli

This match will be won in the midfield. Napoli's midfield quintet of Francesco Montervino, Manuele Blasi, Walter Gargano, Marek Hamšík and Daniele Mannini has stifled attacking forays in each of their five Serie A matches and will look to slow Genoa on Sunday.

Genoa defeats Roma 3-1

Heading into the Giallorossi's visit to Stadio Luigi Ferraris I was expecting a "unique" match where tactics and the peculiarity of scheduling weighed heavy on the outcome. Along with the some rather unfortunate injuries on Roma's part, Gian Piero Gasperini’s Rossoblu might never be in a better time to face them. This proved to be true as Genoa defeated Roma in a convincing 3-1 fashion on the strength of two goals by Diego Milito and Giuseppe Sculli.

Genoa started fast against the Francesco Totti-less Roma, getting on the scoreboard at the four-minute mark when a Andrea Gasbarroni cross found a poorly marked Giuseppe Sculli, who then slotted it to the back of the net. Roma kept its calm and twenty-five minutes later Daniele De Rossi poached on his rebound and leveled the match. Through the balance of the half both squad's created respectable scoring opportunities but either goal could not be breached. Ten minutes after the break, Genoa stirred it's bench with a move I have waited to see this campaign and shortly Raffaele Palladino and Rubén Olivera came on for Andrea Gasbarroni and Giuseppe Sculli to form a new striking trident with Diego Milito. It was a masterstroke by Gian Piero Gasperini and it paid off quickly as the change of pace and style of movement was problematic to deal with at this stage of the match. At the sixty-first minute of the match a Ivan Jurić header into the box was poached upon by Diego Milito and he gave Genoa the 2-1 lead in the first of his two goals. Roma appeared to have leveled the match with a Christian Panucci but in a call that many will question intently, he was called offside. The venom of the match definitely increased and the challenges took on a harsher tone with resulting yellow cards. With twenty-two minutes left Daniele De Rossi received his second yellow and Roma was playing a man down. Finally with two minutes left a Raffaele Palladino crossing pass to Diego Milito in-close, was quickly driven in to give Genoa the 3-1 lead, where the score concluded.

Grifone supporters will take a great deal from this match, not simply the victory but showing the fortitude to strike when the opportunity presented itself. Points in Serie A are and always will be at a premium and when an opponent the magnitude of Roma is a undesirable position you must take advantage of it. I contend Serie A is the best matched league in Europe where the skill set is so remarkably high in each of the teams that coaching brilliance turn each match into a chess mastery.

Genoa returns to action on Saturday in a trip to Firenze.

Genoa
Rubinho,Matteo Ferrari,Domenico Criscito,Francesco Modesto (Giandomenico Mesto 79'),Giuseppe Biava,Ivan Jurić,Omar Milanetto,Omar Milanetto, Andrea Gasbarroni (Raffaele Palladino 56'),Diego Milito,Giuseppe Sculli (Rubén Olivera 59')

Roma
Doni,John Arne Riise, Cicinho, Christian Panucci,Simone Loria,Simone Perrotta (Alberto Aquilani 78'),Daniele De Rossi,Matteo Brighi,Rodrigo Taddei (Stefano Okaka 76'),Mirko Vučinić,Jérémy Menez (Vincenzo Montella 84')

Diego Milito and Bosko Jankovic to the Rossoblu

Gian Piero Gasperini struck with precision on the final day of the transfer window brining Argentine Diego Milito back to the Rossoblu from Real Zaragoza. With a fee of €8m, Diego returns to Stadio Luigi Ferraris where he had great success after leaving Racing Club in 2003.

In addition to this and possibly the hidden gem of the day, Genoa brought in Serbian international Boško Janković from Palermo. Boško is a superb midfielder who had difficult time last season but I remember quite well from seeing him early in his career at Red Star Belgrade. He has a keen eye on the attack and if given the "green-light" to push forward could have a dramatic impact on the attack.

Catania over Genoa 1-0

Genoa’s opening match of the campaign against Catania was spoiled with Giuseppe Mascara’s sixty-first minute strike that gave the Sicilian club the 1-0 victory. However the match will be remembered by Rossoblu manager, Gian Piero Gasperini, for squandered opportunities and the inability to finish in the attacking end.

Clearly Genoa’s defensive issues of last season were greatly nullified in this match. Roughly sixty per-cent of the match was in the Catania end but Walter Zenga’s defensive line held strong with physical, tough marking and reducing sight-lines. Catania ‘keeper Albano Bizzarri kept a cool head, was only challenged on three shots and maintained his angles perfectly. Genoa’s closest opportunity to level the match was Davide Di Gennaro set-play from twenty meters out near the seventy minute mark, which sailed high. The toll of the Sicilian summer sun and physical play with over fifty fouls and eight yellow cards clearly had an impact upon the squads as pace and work-rate deflated as the match wore on. Tactically, from the Rossazzurri vantage, it was textbook Football, controlling play with a defensive set, very good at breaking down the lines of attack and taking advantage of the counter. Their marking was perfect and truthfully Genoa never had a good sight line in the attack. They will need to address the tempo of play as they seemed to slow the attack down and lacked in creativity. If there was a surprise it was that Raffaele Palladino started the match on the bench, however I expect that to change very shortly.

Match Details
Genoa
83 Rubinho, 25 Biava,13 Ferrari, 4 Criscito,7 Rossi, 68 Vanden Borre (20 Mesto ‘76), 28 Juric, 23 Modesto, 14 Sculli (21 Di Gennaro ‘66), 11 Olivera, 18 Gasbarroni (10 Palladino 60′)
Unused substitutes:15 Papastathopoulos, 73 Scarpi, 9 Figueroa, 26 Bocchetti

Catania
1 Bizarri,21 Silvestri,6 Stovini,4 Silvestre,14 Alvarez,10 Dică (Tedesco 60′),27 Biagianti,8 Ledesma,9 Paolucci,25 Martinez (Antenucci 85′),7 Mascara (Terlizzi 89′)
Unused substitutes: Sardo, Plasmati, Morimoto, Kosicky