After extending their upturn earlier this week, Salernitana seek three points to aid their relegation fight on Saturday, when they host Bologna at Stadio Arechi.

Now under the leadership of Paulo Sousa, the Granata drew with reigning Serie A champions Milan to pull themselves further clear of the drop zone, while their visitors' recent surge towards the European places has started to slow.

Match preview

Still threatened by the spectre of relegation, an improving Salernitana side picked up a 'bonus point' on Monday, as they held Milan 1-1 at San Siro; continuing Paulo Sousa's successful start to life in Campania.

Despite falling behind to Olivier Giroud's first-half strike, the Granata pegged their hosts back through Boulaye Dia's latest goal of an eye-catching first Serie A campaign.

Sousa was also indebted to a more recent arrival at Stadio Arechi, as goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa kept the Scudetto-holders at bay in the closing stages; further enhancing his reputation among an already-devoted fanbase in Salerno.

Five points from four games since taking charge has seen Sousa take his side to 16th in the standings, and now sitting seven points above the dotted line, they have their destiny very much in their own hands: with 12 rounds to go, only a late rally from 18th-placed Hellas Verona could put Salernitana back in danger.

After going unbeaten in successive away games, they now return home on Saturday. There, they will be aiming to replicate their most recent result at the Arechi - an impressive 3-0 win over Monza at the end of last month.

After a 1-1 draw in September's reverse fixture, Bologna endured a rocky road towards the end of 2022, but their start to the new year saw distant dreams of European qualification inching closer to reality by the end of February.

A 1-0 win over Thiago Motta's former club Inter really made the rest of Serie A sit up and take notice, but then losing to Torino and being held at home by Lazio - both times without scoring - has started March on a down note.

Indeed, Bologna have not found the net since Riccardo Orsolini's winner against the Nerazzurri at Stadio Dall'Ara, a run which is their longest without a league goal for nearly a year.

Now occupying ninth spot in the standings - a point behind Torino and six adrift of the all-important top six - the Rossoblu are still in the mix for at least a top-half finish in June, but Motta will want to iron out his side's away form if they are to compete to the bitter end.

One of only two teams, together with lowly Cremonese, yet to keep a clean sheet on the road this season, Bologna have shipped goals at a rate of two per game on their travels - enough to give Salernitana plenty of encouragement this weekend.

Team News

While Paulo Sousa has managed to shore Salernitana up at the back, star striker Krzysztof Piatek is still suffering a scoring drought which stretches back to November. Formerly coached by Sousa at international level, the Poland international could still be brought into the hosts' lineup, though, with Boulaye Dia shifting out wide.

Another man set to start in support of the frontman, Antonio Candreva, has made the most league appearances for Salernitana this season (25) and has previously scored three times against Bologna in Serie A - including his very first top-flight goal, back in February 2010.

Once again, defensive duo Federico Fazio and William Troost-Ekong - the latter of whom suffered a knee injury last month, soon after arriving in Campania - are set to be the hosts' only players unavailable due to injury.

Like Piatek, Bologna's main man up front has also endured a tough start to 2023: Marko Arnautovic recently recovered from an injury layoff, but Joshua Zirkzee or Musa Barrow will play instead as the Austrian's approach to training has seen him frozen out by Thiago Motta.

Riccardo Orsolini has played a part in six of the visitors' last seven league goals, but having only just returned from injury his ability to last 90 minutes is in question.

Meanwhile, Nicolas Dominguez is still on the sidelines, so Nikola Moro or versatile veteran Gary Medel should deputise in central midfield.

Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Ochoa; Daniliuc, Gyomber, Pirola; Mazzocchi, Bohinen, Coulibaly, Bradaric; Candreva, Dia; Piatek

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

We say: Salernitana 0-1 Bologna

With goals likely to be thin on the ground in Salerno, a single strike could decide the points' destiny on Saturday evening: both teams are fairly lightweight up front. Compared to Paulo Sousa's early impact at the Arechi, Bologna are further along in their development under Thiago Motta so can get back on the winning trail at their hosts' expense.


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