Knowing failure could see them slip out of Serie A after just one season, Cremonese host mid-table Bologna on Saturday, at Stadio Giovanni Zini.

While the Grigiorossi are six points from safety with three games remaining and are in need of a minor miracle, their visitors still want to claim a top-half finish.

Match preview

After more than two decades spent battling for a return to Italy's top tier, Cremonese's Serie A comeback could prove all too brief if they cannot win their final three fixtures of a testing campaign.

Rooted to the foot of the standings without even one win at the halfway stage, the Lombardy club have rallied over recent weeks - picking up 46% of their total points since April - but the trapdoor surely awaits should they fail to seize victory this week.

Ending a four-game unbeaten run, which featured a draw with Milan and a crucial win over fellow strugglers Spezia, Davide Ballardini's side were beaten 2-0 by Juventus last Sunday, when goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi made several saves - no-one across Europe's top five leagues has made more this season - but they caved in shortly after the break when their former loanee Nicolo Fagioli broke the deadlock for Juve.

Now, it is make-or-break for the Grigiorossi, who will also need events elsewhere to go their way in order to keep their fight for survival alive until the final day - failing to match Verona's result would see them relegated this weekend.

Ballardini's first league match in charge was January's reverse fixture, and since his arrival Cremonese have both reached the Coppa Italia semi-finals and earned 17 points from 17 games - a tremendous change of fortunes, but perhaps the board will regret his appointment was made just too late.

Like his opposite number on Saturday afternoon, Bologna boss Thiago Motta has made quite an impact on his new club since being hired in mid-season.

However, the Rossoblu have recently come off the boil, with a sharp decline in results loosening their grip on a top-10 place.

Winless in their last six Serie A matches - the club's worst such streak for two years - Bologna were held goalless by a largely second-string Roma side last week, to sit 11th in the standings; two points behind Monza, Fiorentina and Torino.

Despite the recent return of Marko Arnautovic from a long injury layoff, the Emilians have seen goals dry up over the past month, as faint hopes of a late push for European football faded.

Now nine points adrift of seventh-placed Atalanta, that ship has surely sailed, but beating their best finish of 10th since gaining promotion back in 2015 remains a real possibility.

Team News

Cremonese's hopes of saving their skin will be boosted by the timely return of two regular starters this weekend, as Frank Tsadjout is set to recover from injury and Charles Pickel comes back from a ban.

Cyriel Dessers remains unavailable to Davide Ballardini, though, so Daniel Ciofani could partner David Okereke up front - the latter scored from the spot to earn a point from the reverse fixture at Stadio Dall'Ara.

Meanwhile, the visitors expect to have centre-back Jhon Lucumi in their squad after he missed the defeat to Roma while attending the birth of his child back home in Colombia; Stefan Posch further improves Thiago Motta's defensive options by returning from suspension.

Roberto Soriano and Adama Soumaoro remain out of action - the latter's season has been curtailed by knee surgery - with Nicola Sansone and Giorgos Kyriakopoulos still doubtful due to illness.

Up front, rumoured Milan target Marko Arnautovic should retain his place as Bologna's lone striker, though Motta has often employed Musa Barrow or Joshua Zirkzee there in recent weeks.

Cremonese possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Chiriches, Lochoshvili, Vasquez; Sernicola, Meite, Pickel, Valeri; Galdames; Okereke, Ciofani

Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Bonifazi, Lucumi, Cambiaso; Schouten, Dominguez; Orsolini, Ferguson, Barrow; Arnautovic

We say: Cremonese 1-0 Bologna

With safety long secured and Europe effectively out of reach, Bologna could find themselves ambling towards the campaign's conclusion - by contrast, Cremonese are in a win-or-bust situation. With their backs to the wall, the hosts can eke out just a fifth league win of the season - though that may not be enough to keep them afloat.


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