After a run of six straight draws in Serie A, Salernitana aim to finally claim maximum points on Saturday, when they host Sassuolo at Stadio Arechi.
While the Salerno side were held by Torino last week to remain without a win since February, their in-form visitors fared better against Turin's other club, Juventus.
Match preview
© Reuters
Despite taking an early lead in their latest attempt to secure victory, Tonny Vilhena's ninth-minute strike against Torino was not enough for Salernitana to end their barren streak and they shared the spoils with their fellow Granata after a 1-1 draw.
Having now drawn each of their last six matches, Paulo Sousa's side are treading water above Serie A's drop zone, occupying 15th place in the standings with a seven-point buffer between them and the dreaded dotted line.
Securing a third straight season of top-flight football therefore remains within sight, but a total of 12 draws from 30 league games this term also tells the tale of what might have been.
Nonetheless, if they can avoid defeat again on Saturday afternoon, Salernitana would set a new club record for consecutive matches unbeaten in Italy's top tier (eight) and would take another step closer to ensuring survival.
With only one win from seven previous games against Sassuolo across both Serie A and Serie B, history is not on their side though, and their visitors are also enjoying a fine run of form.
© Reuters
Not only are Sassuolo unbeaten in their last three meetings with Salernitana - including a comprehensive 5-0 win in October's reverse fixture - but as they head to Stadio Arechi this week they are one of Calcio's best performers in 2023.
In the second half of the season, only Serie A's top two Napoli and Lazio have posted more points than the resurgent Neroverdi, and a tally of 23 from 11 matches has elevated them into the top half of the table following a troubled start to the campaign.
Alessio Dionisi's second season in charge had started quite sluggishly by Sassuolo's recent standards - for instance, finishing eighth twice under former boss Roberto De Zerbi - but they are back inside the top 10 approaching the run-in.
Crowning such an impressive spell, the Emilian side turned over Juventus last time out, when French forward Gregoire Defrel pounced midway through the second half to earn a famous 1-0 victory at the Mapei Stadium.
Following an unexpected defeat to relegation-threatened Hellas Verona previously, when they blew a lead in the final few minutes to finish empty-handed, Sassuolo therefore bounced back in some style and will now target their fifth away win of the season.
Team News
© Reuters
While Paulo Sousa can welcome back midfield regular Lassana Coulibaly on Saturday following a one-match ban, Federico Fazio and Domen Crnigoj are both set to miss out again due to injury.
Pasquale Mazzocchi returned to the bench last week and should now be fit enough to feature on Salernitana's right flank, linking up with veteran winger Antonio Candreva.
The latter has been directly involved in five goals in his last six league matches against Sassuolo and should join top scorer Boulaye Dia in supporting centre-forward Krzysztof Piatek, who is enduring a goal drought that dates back to November.
Having missed last week's win over Juventus with a thigh problem, Sassuolo's star man Domenico Berardi faces a race against time to be involved down in Campania, and either Nedim Bajrami or Gregoire Defrel could take his place on the right side of the Neroverdi's front three.
Andrea Pinamonti should continue at that trio's apex, having recorded three Serie A strikes against Salernitana to date. More recently, the on-loan Inter Milan striker has found the net in two of his last five appearances, after a streak of seven without scoring.
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Daniliuc, Gyomber, Pirola; Mazzocchi, Vilhena, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva, Dia; Piatek
Sassuolo possible starting lineup:
Consigli; Toljan, Erlic, Ruan, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez, Henrique; Bajrami, Pinamonti, Lauriente
We say: Salernitana 1-2 Sassuolo
There is every chance that Salernitana can finally halt their long run of draws on Saturday, but not in the manner they would wish. Sassuolo's showing against Juve demonstrated they are now a force to be reckoned with, and they can leave Salerno with all three points to continue a superb spell of form.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
