Chievo host Sassuolo at the Stadio Bentegodi on Sunday afternoon looking for three points that will move them up from their lowly 19th spot in the table.
The Gialloblu parted company with coach Eugenio Corini last week but successive defeats against Genoa and Palermo mean that Rolando Maran is still waiting on his first points since taking over at the club where he made his name as a player.
While the Verona based side have struggled in Serie A, Eusebio Di Francesco’s Neroverdi have turned things around after a shaky start themselves by picking up seven points from their last nine on offer, including a draw against Juventus.
This game is a massive one for the home side as it represents a very winnable fixture for them, despite Sassuolo’s recent good form, and points will be vital for them if they are to give themselves a shot at survival.
Sassuolo are coming off the back of a fine 3-1 come from behind victory against Empoli midweek, although they did not come through the match entirely unscathed.
During their recovery sessions on Thursday, Paolo Cannavaro, Sime Vrsaljko, Thomas Manfredini and Simone Zaza all trained alone separately from the group as they bid to make themselves available for Sunday’s showdown.
Maran is thought to have no real injury worries incurred from his side’s trip to Sicily that ended in a 1-0 loss for his side and could potentially name an unchanged side from that clash.
The Gialloblu have looked noticeably harder to break down since Maran took over and could stifle a vibrant Sassuolo forward line so do not expect a great deal of goals from this one.
Expected Starting XIs
Chievo: Bardi; Sardo, Dainelli, Zukanovic, Frey, Hetemaj, Cofie, Biraghi, Birsa, Schelotto, Lopez.
Sassuolo: Consigli; Gazzola, Acerbi, Terranova, Peluso; Taider, Biondini, Manganelli; Berardi, Floccari, Sansone.
