- Genoa have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 2 of their last 5 matches.
- Ascoli have won 2 and lost 3 of their last 5 games.
- Genoa have scored just 5 goals in their last 5 and Lorenzo Colombo has bagged three of them.
Genoa the clear favourites to take the tie
Genoa come into the game as heavy favourites at 19/50 with the draw coming in at 17/5 and Ascoli out at 37/5. There is no value in any of those markets so we have to look elsewhere for a wager that suits us here. Both Teams to Score No at 3/4 is too big for us, so we'll take that one alongside Under 2.5 goals at 1/1.
It's not too hard to justify why this is likely to be a cagey contest with Genoa controlling the play and perhaps forcing a single goal to edge it, so a Genoa win to nil suits the odds and the picture better than a regular Genoa win.
Genoa will press hard but are light up front
Il Grifone have lost their last 2 fixtures after going down 10-1 away to Bournemouth and 0-1 at home to Deportivo La Coruna. Daniele De Rossi has his side set up in a 3-5-2 system and they will press the life out of Ascoli on Sunday and look to break at pace using their wing-backs.
There is some talent in the side but Genoa have looked a little shaky rather than dominant with 2 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats across their last 10 in all competitions. They have won 1 and drawn 1 of their last 2 meetings with Ascoli and there will be a real buzz about the ground for this cup clash.
I Bianconeri must be compact and disciplined
Ascoli come into the fixture after losing their last 2, with a 1-0 away defeat to Frosinone followed up by a 2-1 loss to SS Lazio. Francesco Tomei's side have been set up in a 4-2-3-1 and look much more solid and structured than last season.
I Bianconeri have won 6 and lost 4 of their last 10 in all competitions, so they are playing with more bite but are yet to find consistency. Ascoli have won 2 and lost 3 of their 5 away matches, conceding just 5 goals on their travels.
The last head-to-head resulted in a 2-1 win for Genoa in Serie B 2022/2023. Genoa are the stronger side and should be able to edge this one, but Ascoli will sit deep and try to nick it in transition.
