Palermo travel to Sassuolo on Saturday night with both sides looking to return to winning ways at the Mapei Stadium.
The Rosanero will arrive in Reggio Emilia wanting to make amends after consecutive matches without a win. The Sicilians lost on their visit to Serie B bound Parma before twice throwing away a lead in their midweek draw at home to Torino.
After producing back to back wins, those two results appear to have put paid to their faint hopes of finishing in the European places as there are five clubs and nine points between the Rosanero and fifth-placed Sampdoria. Another negative for Giuseppe Iachini’s side is their failures on the road, only managing two away wins in their first season back in Serie A.
Sassuolo though are not in great shape after going on a four match winless streak, most recently on Wednesday night when Roma rediscovered their swagger to leave the Mapei Stadium with a convincing 3-0 win. Eusebio Di Francesco’s men enjoyed a strong first half to the campaign but in their last eleven league matches have lost on eight occasions.
That has seen the Neroverdi slide down the league standings towards the relegation spots, although they are unlikely to be in trouble with 12 points between them and Cagliari. With only five matches remaining, a win against Palermo would all but guarantee their Serie A status for another year.
The two sides met for the very first time earlier this season at the Stadio Renzo Barbera when the ten men of Sassuolo almost snatched a point with a late equaliser only for Andrea Belotti to convert a last-minute winner as the visitors ended with nine as Paolo Cannavaro was sent off.
The defender misses out entirely this time around as a booking against Roma sees him suspended which sees Di Francesco switch from a back three to a four. The 45-year-old coach can recall Domenico Berardi after suspension and Simone Zaza is back in after Sergio Floccari started in mid-week.
Palermo make two changes with Belotti looking for more success against the Neroverdi to make a front two with Paulo Dybala while Claudio Terzi comes into the back three in place of the benched Slovenian Sinisa Andelkovic.
Form Guide: Sassuolo (L-W-L-D-L-L), Palermo (L-L-W-W-L-D)
Expected Starting XIs
Sassuolo: Consigli; Acerbi, Peluso, Biondini, Longhi; Brighi, Taider, Floro Flores; Berardi, Sansone, Zaza
Palermo: Sorrentino; Vitiello, Gonzalez, Terzi; Lazaar, Jajalo, Rigoni, Rispoli; Vazquez; Belotti, Dybala
