The upcoming match scheduled for Friday will witness a clash between the bottom two teams in the Serie A standings, as Salernitana hosts Sassuolo at the Stadio Arechi.
With eight fixtures remaining in the league season, Salernitana finds themselves entrenched at the bottom of the division, trailing their opponents by a margin of 10 points. Meanwhile, Sassuolo occupies a position just one point away from securing safety.
Match preview
Salernitana, after demonstrating commendable resilience in avoiding relegation from Serie A over the past two seasons, has encountered a dismal trajectory in the current campaign. With only 14 points garnered from 30 matches, the team finds itself perilously close to relegation. Amidst this disappointing performance, they have secured a mere two victories, both transpiring in the year 2023. Since the onset of 2024, they have managed to add merely two more points to their tally in 12 matches. The team’s underwhelming form early in 2024 led to the dismissal of manager Filippo Inzaghi, subsequently replaced by Fabio Liverani, who oversaw four defeats and a draw before Stefano Colantuono assumed leadership during the March international break.
In Colantuono’s third stint as manager, Salernitana suffered a 3-0 defeat against Bologna in their recent outing. This defeat marked their third consecutive loss in the current calendar year. Currently positioned 10 points adrift from 19th place and 11 points from safety in Serie A, Salernitana’s prospects for maintaining competitiveness hinge on a substantial improvement in their performance in the remaining eight matches of the season. The team aims to commence this resurgence by securing their third league victory of the season, ending a three-month drought, in their forthcoming match on Friday.
Their opponents, Sassuolo, also confront the challenge of avoiding relegation, albeit with a narrower gap to safety. A stalwart in Serie A for 11 consecutive seasons, Sassuolo faces an unprecedented risk to their top-flight status, having consistently finished no lower than 13th in the past nine years. However, their current standings place them in the relegation zone amidst a dismal string of performances. Of the 30 matches played thus far, Sassuolo has amassed a mere 24 points, securing victory in only six instances. Their most recent triumph occurred in early March, ending an eight-game winless streak that commenced at the beginning of the year.
Under the guidance of Davide Ballardini since March, Sassuolo has failed to capitalize on their home victory against Frosinone in subsequent matches. Following a 1-0 defeat to Roma and a 1-1 draw against Udinese, Sassuolo remains within a point of safety as they approach the final eight matches of the Serie A campaign. In their upcoming fixture on Friday, Sassuolo endeavors to secure a crucial away victory to propel themselves out of the relegation zone and bolster their chances of survival.
Team News
Salernitana will be deprived of the services of experienced defender Federico Fazio on Friday due to injury, while Grigoris Kastanos, who missed their previous game following the international break, may again be unavailable for selection over the upcoming weekend fixture.
Following their recent 3-0 defeat, Stefano Colantuono might contemplate making several alterations to the starting lineup. Jerome Boateng could potentially feature in the defense from the outset, having made a brief substitute appearance against Bologna upon returning from his own injury setback.
Should Boulaye Dia remain sidelined, Simy is likely to retain his position as the leading forward. Additionally, 37-year-old Antonio Candreva continues to play a pivotal role in a supporting capacity, having contributed five goals and six assists to his team’s tally of 23 Serie A goals thus far this season.
Sassuolo is expected to continue without key attacker Domenico Berardi, who has been absent for their last three fixtures due to injury. Berardi, who has scored nine league goals this season, has consistently surpassed the 10-goal mark in Serie A over the past four seasons.
In Berardi’s absence, striker Andrea Pinamonti will shoulder much of the attacking responsibility. Pinamonti has also scored nine goals in Italy’s top flight this campaign. Kristian Thorstvedt and Gregoire Degrel are likely to continue providing support, with Samu Castillejo competing for a return to the starting lineup.
In midfield, Daniel Boloca and Pedro Obiang are both contenders for starting roles, as Uros Racic was favored alongside regular starter Matheus Henrique in their previous encounter against Udinese on Monday.
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Costil; Pierozzi, Manolas, Boateng, Pellegrino; Tchaouna, Sambia, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva; Simy
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Toljan, Tressoldi, Ferrari, Doig; Boloca, Henrique; Defrel, Thorstvedt, Castillejo; Pinamonti