Monza will look to cut the gap between themselves and safety when they welcome fellow relegation-candidates Hellas Verona to the U-Power Stadium in Serie A on Saturday.
Starting the weekend cut adrift from the cluster of sides also fighting near the bottom, Monza need to utilise home fixtures in the final stretch, while Verona are struggling to move away from trouble.
Match preview
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After claiming their first home win of the season at the 11th time of asking against Fiorentina two weeks ago, Salvatore Bocchetti's Monza have slipped even further from safety again after successive defeats on the road, contributing to a five-game losing streak away from home.
The Biancorossi were beaten 3-1 at Bologna before a dismal 2-0 defeat at Genoa on Monday which saw them register just one shot on target across 90 minutes.
Home form has deserted them for most of the season too, with the Fiorentina win taking them to just six points from a possible 33 at the U-Power Stadium - the second-lowest tally across Europe's top-five leagues.
Those results leave Monza seven points from safety in a very congested battle at the bottom of Serie A, with upcoming opponents Verona the side they will be setting their sights on at present, as they currently sit 17th.
Despite the heavy investment in the club that was the catalyst behind their rapid rise to Serie A, Monza's three-year stay in the top flight looks likely to come to an end, with just 13 points won from 22 games so far this season.
Tightening up defensively with a former defender in charge will be crucial, as Monza have not kept a clean sheet in 15 league games, but the last one they managed came in the reverse fixture back in October, when they won 3-0 at Verona.
That extended the Brianzoli's unbeaten record against Verona, having yet to taste defeat in 5 top-flight meetings - winning three.
Verona are yet to score a goal at the U-Power Stadium in Serie A, losing 2-0 here in 2022, and drawing 0-0 last season, and their current attacking woes suggest they could struggle to do so again.
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After Verona went 348 minutes without a goal, Jackson Tchatchoua did end that streak with a vital equaliser away to Venezia on Monday, keeping them out of the bottom three on goal difference.
Everything is set to change again this weekend though, with Verona level on 20 points with Lecce in the relegation zone, and Parma one place above them.
Paolo Zanetti's side have preferred playing away of late, losing just one of their last four on the road, winning twice, but they need to improve at both ends of the pitch if they are to avoid relegation this season.
Their recent scoring drought combined with a defence that has conceded a whopping 48 goals this season is a recipe for relegation, and must be rectified in the second half of the campaign.
Starting stronger will be high on the agenda, because Verona have conceded the first goal in 17 matches this season, while on the rare occasion they have scored first, they have gone on to win each time (four).
Team News
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While Pablo Mari has left for Fiorentina, Monza have been active in the market over the past week or so, bringing Kacper Urbanski and Stefan Lekovic in on loan, and both made their debuts for the club last weekend.
There are still numerous absentees for Bocchetti though, with midfield pair Matteo Pessina and Roberto Gagliardini out injured, along with experienced defender Luca Caldirola, and goalkeeper Alessio Cragno.
Left-back Georgios Kyriakopoulos has made a return in recent weeks though, and has a good record against Verona, losing just two of his eight career head-to-heads, registering three assists in the process.
Verona are likely going to be without top scorer Casper Tengstedt after he was forced off in the first half against Venezia last week due to injury.
The visitors will at least be able to welcome Pawel Dawidowicz and Ondrej Duda back from suspension, while Daniel Oyegoke could make his debut after arriving from Hearts.
On the injury list, Davide Faraoni (muscle), Martin Frese and Abdou Harroui (both knee) are all sidelined, while Giangiacomo Magnani has left for Palermo.
Monza possible starting lineup:
Turati; D'Ambrosio, Izzo, Carboni; Pedro Pereira, Urbanski, Akpa Akpro, Kyriakopoulos; Ciurria, Dany Mota, Caprari
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Dawidowicz, Coppola, Ghilardi; Tchatchoua, Duda, Serdar, Bradaric; Suslov, Sarr, Kastanos
We say: Monza 1-1 Hellas Verona
Verona have picked up nasty habits of conceding frequently and scoring infrequently, but away form has been solid of late, and they cannot afford to lose here.
Anything but a win for Monza will be near-fatal at this point, facing a relegation rival on home soil, but after two pitiful performances in their last two outings, it is tough to put forward a case for them winning here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
