Pescara

Pescara head coach Cristian Bergodi wants his players to exhibit more mental strength at Sampdoria than they have recently, as the battle to avoid relegation from Serie A continues this weekend. The Delfini looked to be back on track with consecutive wins against Catania and Fiorentina but Bergodi's men have been sucked back into the bottom four after losing to Inter Milan and Torino. Ten-man Pescara lost 2-0 to the Granata last time out and Bergodi slammed his team's work ethic. He said: "We have to work harder towards the end, I want a team that plays with its heart and its head, because in certain games if you cannot win then a draw is fine. We need to work more on our psychology. If you take the wrong approach to a game then you won't go far. The boys must understand that we need to change. I take responsibility, however, and I hope the lads understand that a team like ours needs a bit of craftiness if we're to stay up." Vladimir Weiss will not feature at the Marassi following his red card last time out, with Franco Modesto also serving a one-match ban. Uros Cosic is expected to return from injury in three weeks' time. Sampdoria and Pescara were in Serie B this time last season but renewed hostilities in the top flight back in September, Samp edging a 3-2 win in Liguria thanks to a brace from Maxi Lopez.