Two teams promoted together last year resume contrasting Serie A campaigns on Saturday, as mid-table Genoa host 18th-placed Frosinone at Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Still searching for their first away win in the league this season, the visitors are desperate to end a worrying slide down the standings.
Match preview
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Following the final international break of their comeback campaign, during which top scorer Albert Gudmundsson increased his price tag for this summer's inevitable transfer auction, Genoa will aim to wrap up Serie A safety and push for a top-half finish in May.
Gudmundsson starred for Iceland last week and has created the most chances from set-pieces of any player across Europe's top five leagues this season, but a genuine team effort has helped the Grifone thrive on their return to the top flight.
Genoa's last eight goals have been scored by eight different players, with Gudmundsson and Italy striker Mateo Retegui among them, and top-flight survival is all but secured for last year's Serie B runners-up.
Occupying 12th place after 29 matches, Alberto Gilardino's men played out a goalless draw against Juventus just before international football intervened, having previously suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since promotion.
As a result, Genoa have gained just one point from their last three outings: only once have the Ligurian club gone four in a row without winning this term, so they will expect to get back on track against the one team that finished above them in the second tier last season.
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Although Frosinone beat Genoa to the Serie B title just under a year ago, they have won only one of the clubs' five previous meetings in Italy's top flight.
That sole success was the most recent encounter, though, as they came out on top at Stadio Benito Stirpe in November, when main man Matias Soule was on target in a dramatic 2-1 win decided by Ilario Monterisi's stoppage-time strike.
Eusebio Di Francesco's side were on course for a mid-table finish at that stage of the season, but after losing 3-2 to regional rivals Lazio last time out, their winless streak was extended to eight games.
Suffering six losses during that time has seen the Ciociari slide down the table to 18th place, and a once proud home record is now going the way of their futile efforts on the road.
Throughout Europe's top five leagues, only Granada have picked up fewer away points than Frosinone's dismal tally of three, while only Bundesliga strugglers Bochum have conceded more goals on their travels this term.
Team News
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Alberto Gilardino will have two more wing-back options at his disposal on Saturday afternoon, as Stefano Sabelli returns from suspension and Aaron Martin has overcome injury to rejoin full training.
Djed Spence and Junior Messias will therefore face competition to keep their places, while it remains to be seen whether Vitinha is retained as a support striker or if Ruslan Malinovskyi comes back into the hosts' starting XI.
Joining Mateo Retegui up front, Albert Gudmundsson (67) sits just above Frosinone's Matias Soule (60) as Serie A's top two chance-creators this season, and both have contributed 10 league goals to the cause too.
However, Juventus-owned Soule has neither scored nor assisted in any of his last six appearances, having previously been directly involved in five from the previous six.
The Argentinian forward should line up just behind Walid Cheddira, who is expected to beat another Juve loanee, Kaio Jorge, to selection.
Although the visitors' injury list is finally receding, Abdou Harroui (thigh), Riccardo Marchizza (muscular) and Anthony Oyono (ankle) are all set to miss the trip to Liguria.
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; De Winter, Bani, Vasquez; Sabelli, Frendrup, Badelj, Malinovskyi, Messias; Gudmundsson; Retegui
Frosinone possible starting lineup:
Turati; Zortea, Okoli, Romagnoli, Valeri; Brescianini, Barrenechea, Mazzitelli; Soule, Cheddira, Gelli
We say: Genoa 1-1 Frosinone
Since December, Genoa have drawn the most games in Serie A (eight), and that trend could continue at Marassi: Frosinone are far less effective away from home, but they pose an attacking threat and may have benefited from a break that came as they were free-falling down the table.
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Jonathan O'Shea
