Last midweek round of the season in Serie B, it will be May 1st on the pitch for Michele Mignani’s Palermo: the rosanero will be away against Spezia tomorrow. A rather insidious commitment, D’Angelo’s team is looking for precious points in order to save themselves.
This morning finishing in Torretta, then after lunch the departure towards Liguria. Mignani will probably change some players compared to the match lost against Reggiana, at least this is the feeling that emerges after the morning training: returning to the pitch after just 4 days inevitably requires some changes. In defense Ceccaroni can hope to return to the starting line-up: both yesterday and today the defender was tested in the three-man line with Diakité and Lucioni.
Confirmations for Buttaro on the right, although Diakité was also used wide on the right in some phases of the tactical exercises. Who knows, it might be a move during the game in progress. In the left lane there will be Lund, also given the absence of real alternatives with Aurelio’s injury.
Gomes will still act in midfield in the control room, on his left Ranocchia should take over from Di Francesco from the first minute. For the role of right midfielder, a run-off between Henderson and Segre is emerging but the Scotsman continues to be the favorite and the fourth consecutive bench is looming for the number 8. In the small-sided match played in Torretta today, Segre was tested in the right midfield position but his other role on the right cannot be ruled out.
In attack there should be something new compared to the match against Reggiana: both yesterday and today Edoardo Soleri was deployed alongside Brunori. The physicality invoked by Mignani yesterday in the conference could be his own and therefore the number 27 will have a chance from the first minute in Mancuso’s place. Vasic, Aurelio, Di Mariano and Coulibaly are still unavailable.
The Senegalese underwent instrumental investigations which highlighted a lesion to the soleus of his right leg.
Probable lineups
SPICE (3-5-2): Zoet; Mateju, Hristov, Nikolau; Elia, Bandinelli, S. Esposito, Nagy, Vignali; Di Serio, Falcinelli.
PALERMO (3-5-2): Pigliacelli; Diakité, Lucioni, Ceccaroni; Buttaro, Henderson, Gomes, Ranocchia, Lund; Brunori, Soleri.
Here La Spezia
“Palermo is a very strong team, with a prepared coach, it won’t be easy but we will have to get a result. We trained and prepared for the match knowing that it will be very important. We could play both unscrupulous and throw-in.” Luca D’Angelo, Spezia coach, declared this on the eve of the match against the Rosanero.
The coach also focused on the first leg, which ended 2-2 with Stulac’s equalizer at the last minute: “It will be a different match – he specified – Spezia are not the same as the first leg and both teams have changed coaches. We have changed many players, we cannot refer to the first leg.”
Statistics, precedents and curiosities
- Several former players on the pitch tomorrow afternoon: Mateju, Elia, Lucioni, Ceccaroni and Soleri. Ceccaroni made his debut in November 2014 in Serie B with the Ligurians shirt in a Pescara-Spezia match. Soleri wore the Spezia shirt in the 2017/18 season, Lucioni won a treble with the Spezia shirt in the 2011/12 season: championship, Italian C cup and category Super Cup (at the beginning of the following season).
- There are 18 previous totals, draws prevail: there are 9, 5 victories for the rosanero and 4 for the bianconeri. In Liguria the Rosanero have won only once, way back in 1932: in Serie B, the final was 1-2. The last Spezia-Palermo ended 1-1, 2018/19 season: it was the season before the failure and the restart in D, Falletti’s rosanero goal.
- Palermo has obtained 3 points in the last 6 matchdays: after the victory in Lecco, 3 draws and 3 defeats. In Lecco, Ranocchia’s last match as a starter, before the injury. It was also the last away win and also the last clean sheet away from home.
- There are 21 points lost from advantageous situations by the Rosanero: 7 since Mignani has been coach of Palermo.
- Brunori has scored 16 goals in the championship, the captain is -1 from the personal record of goals achieved last season.
- The rosanero remain the third best attack of the tournament but they are also the third worst defense: only Lecco and Feralpisalò did worse. Furthermore, Palermo has the worst defense among the teams in the playoff zone.
