Cremonese host Hellas Verona at Stadio Giovanni Zini on Monday afternoon, January 19, 2026, in a match where both sides desperately need points. The Grigiorossi sit 13th with 22 points, while Verona languish at the bottom of Serie A with just 13 points from 19 matches. Both teams enter this fixture in terrible form, making it a critical basement battle.
Cremonese's struggles continued on Monday when Juventus demolished them 5-0 at the Allianz Stadium. That humiliation followed a 2-2 draw with Cagliari on January 8, a 1-0 loss to Fiorentina on January 4, a 2-0 defeat to Napoli on December 28, and a goalless draw at Lazio on December 20. Davide Nicola's side has gone six consecutive matches without a win, scoring just three goals during that barren spell. Giuseppe Pezzella will serve a suspension for accumulated yellow cards, while midfielder Martín Payero remains sidelined with physical discomfort. Federico Bonazzoli and Jamie Vardy are expected to lead the attack as Cremonese search for firepower at home.
Hellas Verona's season has been a nightmare under manager Paolo Zanetti, whose job security looks increasingly precarious. The Gialloblu suffered a fourth consecutive defeat on Thursday when Bologna beat them 3-2 at home, extending their winless run to five matches. January has brought nothing but misery: the Bologna loss, a 1-0 defeat to Lazio on January 11, a 2-2 draw with Napoli on January 7, a 3-0 thrashing by Torino on January 4, and a 3-0 defeat to Milan on December 28. Verona will be without suspended defender Unai Núñez, while injuries rule out Tomas Suslov, Martin Frese, Grigoris Kastanos, Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Nicolas Valentini, and Rafik Belghali.
The teams met earlier this season on September 15, 2025, in a forgettable goalless draw. Their head-to-head record shows 17 meetings since 2005, with Verona holding a slight edge at 6 wins to Cremonese's 5, alongside 6 draws. Recent encounters have been low-scoring affairs, with four of their last five meetings producing under 2.5 goals.
I predict Over 1.5 Goals at 11/25 (1.44 decimal), and my model assigns this bet a 75.41% probability. The correct score forecast is Cremonese 2-1, with expected goals of 1.51 for the hosts and 1.12 for the visitors. Both teams have conceded freely in recent weeks, with Verona shipping three goals three times in their last five matches. The gap in xG suggests Cremonese's home advantage should provide enough cutting edge to break through Verona's porous backline in what promises to be an open contest.
