Serie B LIVE and FREE… How to Watch Matchday 7

A top-of-the-table clash between Mantova and Palermo headlines the latest triple-header of Serie B fixtures live on Destination Calcio TV.

Along with Sudtirol, the Virgilians and the Rosanero are the only teams in the division still unbeaten ahead of their meeting at the Stadio Martelli on Saturday afternoon.

The DCTV cameras will also be at the Bentegodi on Friday night as Verona and Catanzaro desperately try to kickstart their flagging campaigns. Giorgio Gorgone is hanging on to his job as Catanzaro boss and received the dreaded vote of confidence from the club ahead of the long trip north.

On Sunday, DCTV will be in Genoa where Sampdoria host Arezzo in what could be the last-chance saloon for Bernardo Corradi.

Here’s what to expect from the seventh round of the season (all kick-off times BST).

Hellas Verona vs Catanzaro (Friday, October 16 – 7:30pm)

In an alternative reality, this would be a showdown between two promotion contenders. It certainly was in the plans of both clubs back in the summer, with Verona plotting a return to Serie A at the first time of asking and Catanzaro looking to join them after falling short in the play-off final against Monza in May.

Three months into the season and those scenarios look naively optimistic. Having gone into the international break on the back of a comeback win against Vicenza in the first Veneto derby in a decade, Verona looked for proof they had turned a corner.

And for a while they found it, Daniel Mosquera’s second brace in as many games putting them ahead in Modena, before they conceded a late equaliser and another goal deep into injury time, which left them ninth in the table – three points adrift of a play-off spot and nine behind leaders Palermo.

Second-bottom with just three points from six games, Catanzaro’s picture is even bleaker and the knives were out for Gorgone after last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at home to Mantova. A club statement earlier this week insisted they had faith in the manager but a quick response is required.

Mantova vs Palermo (Saturday, October 17 – 4:15pm)

It’s second at home to first in the game of the weekend. Last time out, Palermo equalled the best start to a Serie B season in over a decade by winning 4-2 at Empoli, taking their tally to 16 points from six games.

Over the past 13 years, only Pisa have won as many points at this stage of the season, in 2021-22 under Luca D’Angelo and then three years later under current Rosanero manager Filippo Inzaghi.

The victory against Empoli was a timely reminder of what makes the Sicilians so special. Having conceded a goal early in the second half, they rifled in three in 12 minutes, with Joel Pohjanpalo, Antonio Palumbo and Dennis Johnsen all finding the net.

Mantova, meanwhile, kept the pressure up by cruising to victory at Catanzaro to remain two points behind. Mantova would go top with a win on Saturday, a remarkable turnaround for a club that missed the play-offs by three points last season.

Frosinone manager Massimiliano Alvini suggested last week that Mantova could emulate his team and be Serie B’s surprise package this term. Beating Palermo would only cement that impression.

Sampdoria vs Arezzo (Sunday, October 18 – 6:30pm)

For the third consecutive season Sampdoria look like a team adrift and flirting dangerously with relegation. The Blucerchiati’s first win of the season against Catanzaro ahead of the international break had offered some hope that better days may be on the horizon under manager Corradi, but that optimism swiftly vanished in Avellino last Friday night.

A 4-1 trouncing left Samp third from bottom with four points and Corradi on the verge of the sack. Sampdoria’s shortcomings are worryingly familiar – the joint-worst defensive record in Serie B, a lack of firepower and a manager who cannot get the best out of a bloated squad.

Their only source of comfort this season has been their defiant support, but defeat on Sunday could see even the most loyal inside Marassi turn.

The newly-promoted Tuscans failed to put away 10-man Cremonese last time out and are winless in the last two games. On the face of it, this is the perfect chance for Samp to put the Avellino debacle behind them. Equally, however, Arezzo will be relishing their chances of leaving Genoa with three points.