After a tumultuous week at Stadio Arechi, Serie A strugglers Salernitana begin life under new management on Sunday with a tough test against Lazio.
Having fired their coach for the second time this season, the Granata hope for a change of fortunes when their visitors from the capital come to town, themselves searching for form after three league games without a win.
Match preview
© Reuters
Monday's defeat in a clash with relegation rivals Hellas Verona saw Davide Nicola's second spell as Salernitana manager brought to a swift conclusion - and only 31 days after his first had been ended.
A renowned Serie A survival specialist, Nicola had been reappointed in January - following his sacking after an 8-2 defeat - but allowing 17th-placed Verona to close the gap between the clubs saw former Fiorentina boss Paulo Sousa sweep into Salerno in his place.
Sousa's is undoubtedly a rescue mission, as his new club have slipped down to 16th in recent weeks - now just four points above the drop zone.
After losing seven of Nicola's final 10 games in charge - while winning only once - since the start of November, Salernitana have taken a mere five points, and only rock-bottom Cremonese have posted fewer during that period.
If the Campanian club are to arrest such a slide, they cannot afford to keep conceding goals at their current rate, as they have the worst defensive record in the division and are particularly vulnerable going behind: in each of their last 11 league games, they have conceded at least once during the first half.
Doing so again on Sunday could prove fatal to any chance of upsetting Lazio on Sousa's dugout debut, though Salernitana did fight back from behind to record a memorable 3-1 victory in October's reverse fixture.
© Reuters
While they were humbled on home turf in their most recent encounter with the Granata, Lazio left Stadio Arechi 3-0 winners when they visited last season, partly thanks to a Ciro Immobile double.
The Aquile's captain struck again on Thursday night, as his side ended a three-match winless run by beating CFR Cluj in the first leg of the teams' Europa Conference League playoff.
Overcoming the loss of Patric to a hotly-disputed red card just 15 minutes into proceedings at Stadio Olimpico gives Lazio a lead to take to Romania next week, after Immobile's volley during first-half stoppage time split the sides in Rome.
Maurizio Sarri's men were in need of a morale boost, as a draw with Verona had been sandwiched by their Coppa Italia exit and last week's loss to Atalanta, which saw them slip to sixth in the Serie A standings.
Having also won just two of their past eight league games, Lazio will be keen to take advantage of their hosts' woes on Sunday and avoid going four straight Serie A matches without success for the first time since 2020. As one of five clubs vying for three Champions League spots behind Napoli, the pressure to do so is substantial.
Team News
© Reuters
In addition to Mattia Zaccagni's absence due to suspension, Maurizio Sarri will be without another of his first-choice picks on Sunday afternoon, as Alessio Romagnoli sustained a hamstring injury in last week's defeat to Atalanta.
After making several changes in midweek, Lazio should bring back Danilo Cataldi, Luis Alberto and number one goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, while Patric continues to cover Romagnoli in defence as his upcoming ban only applies to European fixtures.
Felipe Anderson and Pedro are set to support centre-forward Ciro Immobile, who has scored three goals in two Serie A meetings with Salernitana since their promotion in 2021. The visitors' skipper has, though, failed to find the net in his last five league appearances; six-in-a-row would mark his worst run without scoring or assisting in Serie A for almost a decade.
Meanwhile, Salernitana's star striker Krzysztof Piatek has also struggled for form of late, and the ex-Milan man has now gone goalless for nine league games - his longest streak without scoring in a single Serie A season.
Hoping for a fresh start under new boss Paulo Sousa, he should still lead the line on Sunday, and Federico Bonazzoli will also hope to start with Boulaye Dia absent.
In addition to Dia, the hosts are still missing Pasquale Mazzocchi (knee) and Federico Fazio (calf) through injury, with fellow defender Norbert Gyomber also doubtful due to a muscular problem.
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Bronn, Daniluc, Pirola; Candreva, Coulibaly, Bohinen, Bradaric; Vilhena, Botheim; Piatek
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Patric, Hysaj; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Alberto; Anderson, Immobile, Pedro
We say: Salernitana 1-2 Lazio
There have been no draws in the previous seven Serie A meetings between Salernitana and Lazio - though several occurred many years ago - and the chaos at Stadio Arechi could see that streak continue. Already dropping like a stone, the hosts must now adapt to life under Paulo Sousa, whereas their visitors' patterns of play are well ingrained thanks to 'Sarrisimo'.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
