Salernitana's search for their first victory of the 2023-24 Serie A campaign will continue on Friday evening when they make the trip to Stadio Luigi Ferraris to tackle Genoa.
The visitors are currently 19th in the table, only boasting four points from their first nine matches of the season, while Genoa are 15th, picking up eight points from their opening nine games.
Match preview
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Genoa have won two, drawn two and lost five of their nine Serie A matches this season to collect eight points, which has left them 15th in the table heading into the next set of fixtures.
The Red and Blues were surprisingly relegated from Serie A at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, but they managed to secure promotion from Serie B at the first time of asking to return for the 2023-24 season.
Alberto Gilardino's side will therefore be looking to consolidate this term, and their two victories thus far have come against Lazio and Roma.
Genoa have only managed to pick up one point from their last three matches, though, drawing away to Udinese on October 1 before losing to AC Milan and Atalanta BC either side of the international break.
Il Grifone failed to overcome Salernitana when the two teams last locked horns during the 2021-22 Serie A campaign, losing 1-0 away before playing out a 1-1 draw on home soil.
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Salernitana, meanwhile, finished 15th in Serie A last term, avoiding relegation by 11 points, so it certainly went down as a successful campaign.
I Granata have struggled thus far this term, though, boasting a record of four draws and five defeats from nine matches to collect four points, which has left them in 19th position in the table.
Salernitana are one of only three teams in Serie A - the other two being 18th-placed Udinese and 20th-placed Cagliari - yet to triumph this term, while they have only found the back of the net on six occasions.
Filippo Inzaghi's side also have the worst defensive record in the league this season with 19 conceded, so the statistics across the board are not exactly kind reading at this moment in time.
The Salerno-based outfit managed to pick up a point against Cagliari last time out, though, with the 2-2 draw ending a run of three straight defeats to Empoli, Inter Milan and Monza, and they conceded eight times across those three fixtures.
Team News
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Genoa will be without the services of Junior Messias and Mateo Retegui for Friday's contest, but the home side have not suffered any fresh fitness concerns in the build-up.
Head coach Gilardino is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack despite the disappointment of the two-goal defeat to Atalanta last time out.
Retegui's absence is a blow considering that he has scored three Serie A goals this term, but Albert Gudmundsson, who has also netted three times in Italy's top flight in 2023-24, is fit to start in the final third.
As for Salernitana, head coach Inzaghi could have a full squad for this contest, with the team not reporting any injury problems at this stage of proceedings.
Boulaye Dia scored twice in the latter stages of the clash with Cagliari last weekend, and the 26-year-old is a certainty to again feature in the final third of the field.
The experienced Antonio Candreva has two league goals to his name this term, and he is also set to be in the XI, while Jovane Cabral is expected to retain his spot in an advanced area.
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Leali; Dragusin, Bani, Vasquez; Sabelli, Thorsby, Frendrup, Malinovskyi, Haps; Ekuban, Gudmundsson
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Costil; Mazzocchi, Fazio, Gyomber, Bradaric; Coulibaly, Maggiore, Kastanos; Candreva, Dia, Cabral
We say: Genoa 1-1 Salernitana
It is difficult to back either side with any real confidence; Genoa are the favourites, but they have not exactly been impressive this season. It would not be a surprise to see a home victory, but we have a feeling that Salernitana will be able to claim a share of the spoils on Friday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
