Monza could be leapfrogged by Torino in the Serie A table when they face off in a round 12 clash at the U-Power Stadium on Saturday.
Both sides head into the encounter undefeated in the previous two gameweeks, with the away side claiming consecutive victories.
Match preview
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Monza bounced back from a 1-1 draw with Udinese in round 10 to defeat struggling Hellas Verona 3-1, to end a two-game sequence without maximum points.
The victory took Raffaele Palladino's men into ninth place, displacing Lazio, who suffered a 1-0 loss at in-form Bologna last weekend, and they are keen to retain that position with a strong showing on Saturday.
They could claim the needed result at the U-Power Stadium, where none of their five opponents have secured maximum points, and they target a sixth this weekend.
However, an inability to secure consistent wins on their turf — the Biancorossi have won two and drawn three games — threatens to derail Palladino's men in their push for a top-half berth.
Monza were deservedly beaten in the corresponding fixture last season, and the 1-1 draw in Turin leaves them without a victory against the Bull since gaining promotion.
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Torino are keen to extend their unbeaten run in this head-to-head to three games, and they have confidence of claiming consecutive victories with Monday's triumph over Sassuolo.
Ivan Juric's men went five Serie A games without maximum points but wins over Lecce and the Neroverdi have seen them rise to 12th in the standings, a point behind their ninth-placed hosts and three adrift of sixth-placed Bologna.
The cluster of clubs from sixth to 12th are separated by three points, giving Torino a chance of rising if maximum points are secured this weekend, especially as Roma (17 points) and Lazio (16 points) battle in this weekend's Derby della Capitale.
Torino's 15 points mean they could pounce on the teams ahead of them slipping up, and they will back themselves due to the club's current results in the competition.
The Bull scored more than one goal for the first time since mid-September, a positive stat they seek to maintain against Monza.
Team News
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Papu Gomez is serving a two-year ban for failing an anti-doping test, ruling out the Argentinian for the foreseeable future.
Giorgio Cittadini and Armando Izzo are doubtful for Monza, while Gianluca Caprari is undoubtedly ruled out due to his ACL layoff.
While Perr Schuurs (ACL) is a long-term absentee for Torino, Brandon Soppy is nearing a return for the Bull, and Koffi Djidji's return date is unspecified.
Nikola Vlasic may be rewarded with a start on Saturday after an outstanding performance against Sassuolo on Monday night.
Monza possible starting lineup:
Di Grigorio; D'Ambrosio, Mari, Caldirola; Ciurria, Pessina, Gagliardini, Kyriakopoulos; Vignato, Colpani; Colombo
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Vojvoda, Buongiorno, Tameze; Bellanova, Ilic, Linetty, Rodriguez; Vlasic; Zapata, Sanabria
We say: Monza 1-1 Torino
The spoils could be shared at the U-Power Stadium, with both sides cancelling each other out.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
