Fabio Liverani will welcome a much simpler Serie A game after last week's baptism of fire when Salernitana host Monza at Stadio Arechi on Saturday.
The Granata's third head coach of the season was handed a debut at the league's champions-elect last weekend, and he seeks a win the second time around in gameweek 26's encounter with a side in high spirits after round 25's record win over AC Milan.
Match preview
Salernitana were not given a prayer before gameweek 25's visit to Inter Milan, and so it proved as Liverani's men were 2-0 down after 19 minutes and 3-0 adrift by minute 40 at San Siro in the eventual 4-0 loss to inflict the bottom side's 16th loss of 2023-24.
They return to the Arechi this weekend, keen to end a run without maximum points that reads seven Serie A games without victory, even if their last home victory came three months ago.
That 2-1 win over Lazio was unexpected, and Liverani's men hope for success against a team nine places higher than them in the table with an outside chance of playing European football next season.
Salernitana have no such ambitions, with the cellar-dwelling side now seven points adrift of 17th-placed Hellas Verona as the campaign enters its concluding months.
Safety remains a mathematical possibility, but a club that has conceded two goals or more in their last six games at the Arechi face a bleak few months if Liverani does not turn the tide.
Monza aim to inflict even more misery on Salernitana, even if they have struggled on their travels and lost the corresponding fixture 3-0 in February 2023.
Raffaele Palladino's men have not found the back of the net in four of their recent five Serie A games on the road, with their only success the 3-2 win at 15th-placed Frosinone at the start of January.
The Biancorossi head into Saturday's game buoyed by scoring four in the exciting 4-2 win over Stefano Pioli's rotated AC Milan, netting that many for the first time since gaining top-flight promotion last season.
Those four goals strikingly fell just shy of the five goals netted in their previous nine Serie A matches, pointing to the Biancorossi's struggles in the attacking third — Monza have netted 25 in as many fixtures, averaging one goal a game.
Having been on the receiving end of a managerial bounce on their last away game at Empoli — shortly after Davide Nicola's appointment — Palladino hopes his team do not suffer the same fate at the Arechi on Saturday.
Team News
Niccolo Pierozzi is a doubt for Liverani's home debut in the managerial dugout in Salerno, while Lorenzo Pirola and Norbert Gyomber's muscle injuries could keep them sidelined until March.
Salernitana have had different league goalscorers in 2024 — Giulio Maggiore, Antonio Candreva, Agustin Martegani, Grigoris Kastanos and Shon Weissman — pointing to the bottom club's inability to rely on anyone to deliver the goods.
Papu Gomez's two-year ban for failing an anti-doping test means the diminutive attacking midfielder is still unavailable for selection.
Gianluca Caprari is out for the season due to a knee injury, but Patrick Ciurria and Samuele Vignato should return in March.
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Pasalidis, Boateng, Pellegrino; Zanioli, Candreva, Coulibaly, Maggiore, Bradaric; Dia, Weissman
Monza possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; Birindelli, Pessina, Gagliardini, Mota; Colpani, Carboni; Djuric
We say: Salernitana 1-1 Monza
Having had a week to work with his new players, Liverani could secure a point on his home debut as Salernitana boss, sharing the spoils against a low-scoring visiting side.
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