Hellas Verona – Sampdoria. Mark O’Haire’s prediction (VIDEO)

Rock-bottom Verona are surely in the ‘last chance saloon’ bracket as they prepare to welcome Sampdoria for a crucial six-pointer.

Hellas are nine points adrift from 17th-placed Palermo, having won just twice all season. However, with relegation looking all too likely, Luigi Delneri’s charges have begun playing with reckless abandon and that’s led to a number of high-scoring encounters.

The Gialloblu’s five February fixtures featured a total of 22 goals – 4.40 goals-per-game – and so I’m keen to get involved in another high-scoring match when Sampdoria pitch up at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi.

The hosts have failed to record a shutout in any of their last 20 home league fixtures and are welcoming a Blucerchiati outfit that’s notched 13 goals across against them in their last four showdowns. The past five meetings between these sides have produced a total of 21 goals and I reckon we’ll be in for more.

Over 2.5 Goals and Both Teams To Score has been chalked up at 2.00 and that looks good enough to me.

Underperforming Samp moved up to 15th with an overdue victory over fellow strugglers Frosinone last time out but they’ve yet to record a clean sheet as guests, shipping two or more goals in 10 of their 13 away days.

Only one of Vincenzo Montella’s troops’ road trips have produced fewer than two goals with their most recent five in 2016 returning a grand total of 20 goals – an average of 4.00 goals-per-game. Lovely.

Despite recording just three wins in 18 league games, Sampdoria have fired blanks on only three occasions in that spell so I’ll happily get the stats onside and take a goals approach to Saturday night’s crucial clash at the bottom.