One point clear of the Serie A drop zone with just two rounds remaining, Spezia continue their fight for survival on Saturday afternoon, when mid-table Torino are the visitors at Stadio Alberto Picco.
While all Toro have left to aim for is a top-half finish, their hosts aim to build on taking four points from the last six available to inch above relegation rivals Hellas Verona.
Match preview
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Holding Lecce to a goalless draw last time out not only aided Spezia's hopes of securing a fourth straight season in Serie A, but they also kept their southern counterparts in trouble at the wrong end of the standings.
While 16th-placed Lecce sit on 33 points, Spezia trail them by just two, with Verona having 30 to their name after a 3-1 defeat to Atalanta last weekend.
Cremonese and Sampdoria have already been condemned to Serie B, and one from three must join them over the course of the next few days, so Spezia will be keen to keep their fate in their own hands by at least matching Verona's result on the penultimate weekend.
Beating Champions League semi-finalists Milan in their most recent game at Stadio Picco certainly provided the Aquilotti with some much-needed momentum, but coach Leonardo Semplici will be concerned that they immediately reverted to type down in Puglia.
Spezia's struggles to find the net are all too apparent - for instance, they have drawn 0-0 in both games against Lecce this year - and Semplici's side have actually failed to score in more than half of their fixtures played in 2023.
However, having won three of their five top-flight meetings with Torino to date - including January's contest in Turin, when star striker M'Bala Nzola split the sides with a spot kick - the Ligurian outfit will aim to continue in that vein on Saturday afternoon.
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Since Spezia arrived on the Serie A scene in the summer of 2020, Torino have lost on both of their trips to the Picco, but they surely cannot afford another defeat this week if they are to secure a rare top-10 finish.
After a 1-1 draw with Fiorentina last Sunday, when top scorer Antonio Sanabria equalised for the Granata midway through the second half, Ivan Juric's side sit on 50 points so far.
Should they now win their final two matches - and they play a distracted Inter next week - that would represent the club's third-highest Serie A points tally in the three-points-for-a-win era, and also their best for four years.
Unbeaten in their last four matches, an impressive run on the road has also seen Toro take 13 points from their last five away fixtures; winning each of the last three without conceding a single goal.
Juric will therefore expect more of the same in La Spezia, as he seeks to at least match last year's 10th-placed finish - though the hosts are sure to cover every blade of grass with their top-flight status at stake.
Team News
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After Spezia shifted captain Emmanuel Gyasi out wide last week, to cover for Kelvin Amian's suspension and the absence of Emil Holm, Leonardo Semplici is set to bring Amian back into his Spezia XI - though it remains to be seen whether that will be in the back three or on the right flank.
Jacopo Sala (calf) and Daniel Maldini (thigh) remain unavailable due to injury, but Mattia Caldara could be involved if he can overcome an ankle problem.
Up front, M'Bala Nzola, has scored three times against Torino in Serie A - a brace in May 2021 and the winner in this season's reverse fixture - and either Gyasi or Uzbek striker Eldor Shomurodov should partner him on Saturday.
While Nzola has 13 league goals under his belt this term, Torino's Antonio Sanabria has also drawn transfer interest while setting his personal best tally since moving to Europe (12) - one more than the Paraguayan scored for Sporting Gijon in 2015-16. However, he is yet to score against Spezia in four previous attempts.
Toro would have a full squad available should Nemanja Radonjic shake off his thigh injury in time for the trip to Liguria, but two from Nikola Vlasic, Yann Karamoh and Aleksei Miranchuk are set to support Sanabria in any case.
Spezia possible starting lineup:
Dragowski; Wisniewski, Ampadu, Nikolaou; Amian, Ekdal, Esposito, Bourabia, Reca; Gyasi, Nzola
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Schurrs, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Singo, Ricci, Ilic, Vojvoda; Miranchuk, Vlasic; Sanabria
We say: Spezia 1-1 Torino
As Torino are tough to beat when on the road, even taking one point could represent a good result for Spezia - providing Verona fail to get the better of Empoli on Sunday. Neither side scores freely, so a close contest is set to end in a low-scoring draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
