Brescia's Serie B status is at stake when they play host to Cosenza Calcio in Thursday's relegation playoff final at Stadio Mario Rigamonti.

The Little Swallows were defeated 1-0 in the reverse fixture in Calabria on May 25, and they face demotion to the third tier if they do not reverse the deficit.

Match preview

Having ended 16th in Serie B, Daniele Gastaldello was aware of the challenge facing him over both encounters with Cosenza, who finished the regular season in 17th place.

Brescia had intended for Gastaldello to steer them away from danger after his February appointment, but the 39-year-old has led the Little Swallows to three victories in 14 league games in the regular season.

Last week's loss at Cosenza means the new boss' run now reads just three wins in 15, and the least number that gives Brescia a chance at survival is a fourth victory.

Two of the Lombardy outfit's wins under Gastaldello have been at the Rigamonti, giving fans hope even if the broader results under the man at the helm have been average.

However, four of the last meetings between the clubs at Brescia have been victories for the hosts, giving the Little Swallows the psychological edge.

Cosenza are aware of their poor run at Thursday's opponents, even though they landed the first punch after a 1-0 win over the side they visit.

Unlike his antagonist, William Viali has been in situ for longer, having taken charge at the start of November, although the Cosenza boss has slightly better points per game than Gastaldello.

With two wins on the road all season, Viali's team have their work cut out to get a result at Brescia due to statistically having the competition's worst away record.

Lupi won two games on their travels in 19, and only one side (Modena) lost more away games than Wolves' 11 throughout the 2022-23 campaign.

Nevertheless, it is striking that Modena scored 11 more away goals than Cosenza's 10, while both teams let in 35 goals in 19 games.

Lupi are not fancied to come out on top on Thursday, having lost on their recent visit to Brescia — a 2-1 loss in early May.

Team News

Massimo Bertagnoli has been absent since December due to a cruciate ligament injury, and the Brescia central midfielder is not expected to feature again this season.

Federico Pace, Andrea Papetti, Alexander Jallow and Nicolas Galezzi are not anticipated to partake in Thursday's make-or-break encounter.

Mauro Zarate ruptured his cruciate ligaments weeks after joining Cosenza, ruling out the Argentinean until next season.

Manuel Marras was withdrawn after 15 minutes in the reverse fixture last week and may not feature in this week's encounter.

Brescia possible starting lineup:
Andrenacci; Karacic, Cistana, Mangraviti, Huard; Bisoli, Labojko, Bjorkengren; Listkowski; Aye, Rodriguez

Cosenza Calcio possible starting lineup:
Micai; Martino, Meroni, Rigione, D'Orazio; Brescianini, Voca, Florenzi; Zilli, Nasti, D'Urso

We say: Brescia 2-0 Cosenza Calcio (Brescia win 2-1 on aggregate)

Despite losing the reverse fixture last week, Brescia are expected to turn the game around against a side they tend to fare well against, ergo preserving their Serie B status.


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