Hellas Verona seek to avoid slipping into the bottom three in Serie A when they welcome cellar-dwelling Salernitana to Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on Saturday.
The home side's 2-0 victory over relegation-threatened Cagliari before Christmas saw them leave the danger zone, but it will count for little if the bottom side defeat them in gameweek 18.
Match preview
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After nearly four months without maximum points in Serie A, Verona finally recorded a long overdue victory before Christmas, defeating Claudio Ranieri's men at the Bentegodi.
That success was the Mastiffs' first victory in the competition since beating Roma at the end of August, ending a 14-game league run without maximum points.
Marco Baroni's men seek consecutive home victories on the trot to end 2023 outside the relegation zone, as defeat could see them slip into the bottom three.
With the home side undefeated at the Bentegodi in three games (two draws), the Mastiffs are keen to extend that sequence to four games on Saturday.
Recording back-to-back wins would be ideal, having failed to do that since securing two 2-1 victories against Sassuolo and Bologna in April.
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As for Salernitana, maximum points cannot take Filippo Inzaghi's men out of the bottom three, but it takes them closer to this season's ambition of surviving.
A loss at the Bentegodi could see the Salerno outfit fall further below the sides they seek to chase in the battle for survival, and the possibility of the five-point gap increasing weakens their prospects, even at this stage of the season.
This season has brought minimal cheer on the road, with neither Paulo Sousa nor his replacement — Inzaghi — securing an away win all season, a statistic Salernitana are keen to change this weekend.
Eight road fixtures have resulted in six defeats and two draws, with their last point coming in the 2-2 draw with Sassuolo on November 10.
Having gone a staggering 11 months without an away victory — a 2-1 win at Lecce on January 27 — Inzaghi hopes his team turns the tide in their final road fixture of the year.
Team News
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Ondrej Duda picked up his fifth league booking this term against Cagliari, ruling out the suspended Verona midfielder for the Mastiffs' last game of the year.
Baroni's men could be without Suat Serdar and Marco Davide Faraoni, both touch-and-go for Saturday.
Vincenzo Fiorillo was dismissed for violent conduct against AC Milan despite not featuring in the 2-2 draw, and the goalkeeper is suspended this weekend.
Boulaye Dia suffered a muscle injury in the creditable tie with Milan that puts the Senegal striker's AFCON 2023 participation in doubt, while Guillermo Ochoa is doubtful due to a shoulder problem.
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Tchatchoua, Dawidowicz, Hien, Terracciano; Folorunsho, Suslov, Hongla; Saponara, Djuric, Ngonge
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Costil; Mazzocchi, Fazio, Pirola, Bradaric; Coulibaly, Legowski; Candreva, Kastanos, Tchaouna; Ikwuemesi
We say: Hellas Verona 1-0 Salernitana
Verona could nick a slender win over the struggling Salernitana to continue their recent admirable run at the Bentegodi against the poor travellers.
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