Both battling against the drop with games running out to avoid relegation, Serie A strugglers Cremonese and Hellas Verona meet at Stadio Giovanni Zini on Sunday.
While the hosts - who bowed out in the Coppa Italia semi-finals this week - seem destined for demotion barring a late-season miracle, Hellas have now hauled themselves within touching distance of safety.
Match preview
© Reuters
Cremonese's journey to the final four of this year's Coppa Italia saw them defy the odds to overcome both Napoli and Roma, but their fans' dreams of a first-ever national cup finally came to an end on Thursday evening.
Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, the Grigiorossi were unable to break down in-form Fiorentina at Stadio Artemio Franchi, and a goalless draw was enough to see their hosts through to the final against Inter.
However, such brave cup exploits have not been matched by results in Serie A this season, as after last week's 3-0 defeat to Udinese, Davide Ballardini's men are left eight points adrift of 17th place with just seven games left to play.
A recent upturn in fortunes has at least helped Cremonese avoid early confirmation of a return to Serie B, as they have won two of their last four home games in the league - including their most recent run-out at Stadio Zini, a 1-0 victory over Empoli.
Partly explaining a record of only two home wins throughout their top-flight comeback campaign, they have the lowest shooting accuracy in Serie A this season and have scored just nine times in Cremona to date.
© Reuters
Including a 2-0 win at home to Cremonese back in January, Verona have made a brave run at achieving Serie A salvation in 2023, having seemed doomed to the drop at the turn of the year.
Most recently, the Gialloblu defeated a Bologna side in their best form of the season, and after Simone Verdi's brace in a 2-1 success at Stadio Bentegodi they sit just a point shy of safety.
Still to play AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atalanta BC during the run-in, Marco Zaffaroni's men are, though, still in acute need of more points from games such as Sunday's, when they will tackle a more modest Lombardy club than that testing trio.
However, ahead of their latest road trip, they are enduring the longest winless run of any Serie A side away from home: in their last 16 away games they have recorded seven draws and nine defeats.
Hellas have also failed to score in four of their last five fixtures outside Verona - though that run featured a 0-0 draw with Napoli - and as Verdi became their top scorer on a mere four goals last week, failing to find the net enough could yet take them down alongside Cremonese.
Team News
© Reuters
After their midweek cup heartbreak, Cremonese may make some changes to the side which started against Fiorentina; particularly as Leonardo Sernicola must now serve a suspension and Emanuel Aiwu returns after his Coppa Italia ban.
Aiwu's fellow defender Vlad Chiriches is back in the hosts' squad following injury, but Marco Benassi and first-choice striker Frank Tsadjout remain sidelined - Cyriel Dessers could therefore start up front.
Having won many admirers this season, goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi should resume his place between the posts, with Mouhamadou Sarr demoted to the bench.
Verona boss Marco Zaffaroni saw Kevin Lasagna and Giangiacomo Magnani pick up injuries in the win over Bologna, and if the latter cannot recover in time then Diego Coppola would deputise in central defence.
As Marco Faraoni is suspended due to accumulated bookings, Darko Lazovic - who scored twice in January's reverse fixture - is likely to return to the left flank, with Fabio Depaoli moving to the right.
Once again, Adolfo Gaich and Milan Djuric vie to lead the Gialloblu's line up front, despite scoring just two league goals between them all season.
Cremonese possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Vasquez, Bianchetti, Ferrari; Quagliata, Meite, Castagnetti, Valeri; Buonaiuto; Okereke, Dessers
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Magnani, Hien, Ceccherini; Depaoli, Tameze, Abildgaard, Lazovic; Duda; Verdi; Djuric
We say: Cremonese 0-1 Hellas Verona
Yet to win a single away game this term, Verona can finally end their drought at Cremonese's expense - all but guaranteeing the Grigiorossi's relegation. Neither side's strikers have performed to the required standard, so a single goal could decide the destiny of the points.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
