Struggling Siena will look to avoid their fourth straight defeat when they host Catania tomorrow.
The Tuscan minnows have not won a game since August 30 when they beat Cagliari. Since then, the Bianconeri have claimed three points while conceding nine times and have dropped to the foot of the table, six points from safety.
Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Bari was another psychological blow for Alberto Malesani's men, who nevertheless put on a good display. Siena thought they had secured a point before Bari's Giuseppe Grecco struck the winner in injury time.
Siena will need to show a vast improvement, especially in defence, having given away eight goals in their last three games.
The Bianconeri have the weakest backline in the competition, alongside Genoa, with 24 goals conceded in 14 matches.
Unless they change their ways, Malesani's side could find themselves spending an unhappy Christmas at the bottom of the standings.
With Siena ending the year at Palermo, the next two games at home against Catania and Udinese have taken on must-win status.
Catania have been one of the few clubs who have not performed up to expectations this season, and still held onto their coach in Gianluca Atzori.
Last week, the Elefanti were within five minutes of claiming a point against Milan, but a brace from Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar deep in second half injury time denied the Sicilian side some glory at home. The spaces were shut down, the creative players were kept quiet and all that was lacking for the Rossazzurri was a goal.
Prior to the Milan match, the Etnei had been able to grab some much needed points against Napoli and Palermo. The former have been revolutionised under Walter Mazzarri, whilst the latter had quality players who just didn’t fire in the Sicilian derby.
In regards to previous direct battle matches, Catania have so far only faced one of the teams in the bottom four, managing a scoreless draw against them. The one positive is that the side also captured an impressive 2-1 win over Cagliari, and earned draws against both Roman outfits.
The hosts will be without defender Daniele Ficagna and midfielder Aleandro Rosi with both players serving a one-match ban.
Defender Luca Rossettini and midfielder Francesco Parravicini are still sidelined through injury.
Defender Giovanni Marchese and midfielders Pablo Barrientos, Gennaro Delvecchio, and Fabio Sciacca are all missing for Catania, with various injuries.
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