Spezia will face Salernitana in a huge clash near the bottom of the Serie A table at the Stadio Alberto Picco on Sunday.
Despite there being a healthy gap between the two clubs and the bottom three, the sides remain the nearest to the drop zone in 16th and 17th.
Match preview
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A shock win over Inter Milan in their last outing here at home saw Spezia end a nine-game winless run at the Alberto Picco.
The two goals scored that day were also the first seen by their home support in five matches.
Spezia's scoring issues are evident, as they have drawn a blank in seven of their 12 Serie A matches in 2023, the second-worst record in Europe's top five leagues.
With those stats already making for bleak reading, the realisation that M'Bala Nzola will not feature here is even more concerning for manager Leonardo Semplici.
Nzola has been sensational for Spezia this season as his goals have single-handedly kept them out of the relegation zone.
His 12-goal tally is only bettered by Victor Osimhen and Lautaro Martinez in Serie A, as Spezia's next top scorers are a trio of players on two goals each, including defensive midfielder Simone Bastoni, who has missed half of the season with injury.
Three draws in a row for Salernitana before the international break will have brought mixed feelings.
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While getting any points on the board at this stage is crucial, they will have hoped for a win away at a Sampdoria side destined for the drop.
However, they would then go on to hold AC Milan at San Siro, before a respectable, but disappointing, 2-2 draw with Bologna in a game where they led twice.
With their hosts missing a key player up front, Salernitana's main man Boulaye Dia will be available, and he comes into the fixture in great form too.
Ten goals and four assists, including two strikes in his last two Serie A games, means Dia has contributed to almost half of Salernitana's 31 league goals this season.
He took that form into the international break too, finding the net in successive matches for Senegal.
Having played in a Champions League semi-final less than 12 months ago at Villarreal, Dia's loan move to Salerno could be crucial in keeping the club up, improbably, for a second-straight season, after their miraculous survival last campaign.
Team News
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With Nzola banned for Spezia, Uzbekistan international Eldor Shomurodov may get another chance, but the Roma loanee has yet to show much promise since arriving at the club.
Bastoni remains sidelined with a knee injury, while left-back duo Arkadiusz Reca and Joao Moutinho are expected to miss out again.
Emil Holm is also a doubt on the other side, so Ethan Ampadu may have to fill in as a full-back once again.
Slovenian winger Domen Crnigoj is Salernitana's only injury absentee coming into the fixture.
Defensive duo Federico Fazio and William Troost-Ekong both returned to the squad for their last outing, with the former making a brief cameo towards the end against Bologna.
However, the recent upturn in form of the side could mean the current back three of Lorenzo Pirola, Norbert Gyomber and Flavius Daniliuc may remain unchanged.
Spezia possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Ampadu, Caldara, Nikolaou, Amian; Ekdal, Bourabia, Agudelo; Gyasi, Shomurodov, Verde
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Daniliuc, Gyomber, Pirola; Mazzocchi, Bohinen, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva, Piatek, Dia
We say: Spezia 0-1 Salernitana
Without Nzola, it is hard to find a reliable source of goals in the Spezia squad, and that could be costly in this vital encounter.
Salernitana have plenty of talent in attack as well as Dia, with the likes of Antonio Candreva and Krzysztof Piatek also available, and that could be what gives them the edge in this clash.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Andrew Delaney
