Chievo vs Novara preview - Novara relishing Chievo challenge

Posted Sunday, September 11, 2011 by PA

Novara travel to Verona to face Chievo determined to enjoy their first Serie A game in 55 years.

Under coach Attilio Tesser, Novara won back-to-back promotions to return to Italy's top flight after a long absence.

"Guiding Novara to promotion was a dream come true," said Tesser. "Now I have another dream which is to help the club to defend its Serie A status.

"A 17th-placed finish will be like winning a scudetto for us. I just want the players to show the same enthusiasm as last year."

He added: "My previous experiences coaching in Serie A were not ideal.

"After just one game in charge I was sacked by Cagliari and then at Ascoli, I remained there only for one month.

"Now that I have returned to the top flight, I don't want to leave it."

Novara failed to hold onto star strikers Cristian Bertani and Pablo Gonzalez this summer.

The duo scored a total of 32 goals during last season's promotion-winning campaign but Bertani decided to join Sampdoria while Gonzalez moved to Palermo.

Novara did sign attacking trio Takayuki Morimoto, Ricardo Meggiorini and Pablo Granoche, who have plenty of experience in the top flight but managed just three goals between them last season.

Chievo coach Domenico Di Carlo is set to hand striker Alberto Paloschi a starting place. Paloschi, who joined the Flying Donkeys from Genoa last month, hopes to help keep Chievo in Serie A .

"I hope this will be a good season for us," he said. "It will not be easy because our rivals have strengthened themselves.

"But we have every intention to have a say in the league and achieve our aim, which is to avoid the drop."

The men from Verona finished 11th last term.