Concluding their Serie B playoffs semi-final tie, Pisa and Benevento battle it out for a place in the final when they meet at Arena Garibaldi on Saturday evening.
While the hosts trail 1-0 following Tuesday's first leg, they finished four places higher in the regular season, as their visitors staggered into the top eight.
Match preview
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Entering the semi-finals directly, courtesy of a third-place finish in the Serie B standings, Pisa enter this weekend's second leg with a one-goal disadvantage following their defeat at Stadio Ciro Vigorito, where Peru international Gianluca Lapadula struck in the 85th minute.
Reflecting a match that played out largely in their southern counterparts' favour - Benevento dominated possession and had more than twice as many shots at goal - the side managed by Luca D'Angelo therefore have plenty of work to do if they are to progress to the two-legged final at the end of this month.
Despite their deficit, the team which finished the regular season two points behind second-placed Cremonese had lost only one of their previous six matches before Tuesday's trip to Campania; meanwhile, Benevento lost their last three league games on the bounce.
Previously reborn in a new guise after going out of business, and having languished in Italy's third tier as recently as 2019, Pisa's involvement at this stage brings hope of a first top-flight appearance in over 30 years.
The Nerazzurri will need to overcome the mental scars of two recent losses to their semi-final adversaries, as they also suffered a damaging 5-1 defeat at the Vigorito last month. The Tuscan side did, though, run out 1-0 winners when the clubs last clashed at Arena Garibaldi, back in November.
Their visitors, meanwhile, finished seventh after 38 league games, before coming through a tense preliminary match with Ascoli last Friday - another encounter decided by a single Lapadula goal, which sent the Stregoni into the final four.
Though the away goals rule does not apply in these promotion playoffs, if a tie ends level on aggregate then the team that finished higher in the table goes straight through - and it is Pisa who hold that advantage, so Fabio Caserta's side cannot afford to rest on their laurels.
Undoubtedly, the Giallorossi will be intent on making the final, after suffering the heartbreak of relegation from Serie A this time last year - when a promising start to the season tailed off into the misery of demotion, under former coach Pippo Inzaghi.
Benevento's attempt at returning to the top tier at the first time of asking has not run smoothly, and they actually lost 11 league matches throughout the 2021-22 campaign - but they were also the division's highest goalscorers. Netting 62 times in all, the Campanians are, then, a serious threat to Pisa's ambitions of glory.
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Team News
Once again, Pisa captain Antonio Caracciolo and winger Davide Marsura will be unavailable on Saturday evening, with the former's season already ended due to a serious knee injury.
Alessio De Vitis is set to deputise for the hosts' skipper in central defence once more, while there are a variety of options open to coach Luca D'Angelo in attack.
Sampdoria loanee Ernesto Torregrossa is pushing for a start, after appearing as a substitute in the first leg, but George Puscas and Lorenzo Lucca were the favoured front pairing at Stadio Vigorito, and Giuseppe Sibilli is also likely to feature at some stage.
Benevento, meanwhile, are expected to be without the experience of Marco Sau and Brazilian winger Diego Farias, but captain Gaetano Letizia - who came off injured against Ascoli - is back to full fitness and should start.
The visitors' defensive quartet will also feature Polish centre-back Kamil Glik, while Riccardo Improta and Roberto Insigne - Lorenzo's younger brother - compete with Andres Tello to support 13-goal top scorer Gianluca Lapadula up front.
Pisa possible starting lineup:
Thiam; Birindelli, Leverbe, De Vitis, Beruatto; Toure, Nagy, Marin; Sibilli; Puscas, Lucca
Benevento possible starting lineup:
Paleari; Letizia, Glik, Barba, Masciangelo; Ionita, Calo, Acampora; Tello, Lapadula, Insigne
We say: Pisa 1-1 Benevento (Benevento win 2-1 on aggregate)
While they are very much a hit-and-miss side, Benevento possess a squad featuring top-flight experience and a serious goal threat, so should be expected to score.
The enormity of the occasion may also unnerve Pisa just a little, with the pressure of performing in front of their success-starved fans perhaps proving too much to handle.
For additional data used by our team to analyse our suggested result please click here.
