Bari face a desperate Siena at the Stadio Comunale San Nicola, as Week 14 of Serie A resumes on Sunday.
Alberto Malesani makes his debut as the third Siena coach of the season to sit on the bench as his side faces a tricky trip to Bari.
Robur have already fired two tacticians in the first 13 rounds of Serie A, as Marco Giampaolo’s replacement, Marco Baroni, lasted just a couple of weeks. With Siena rooted to the foot of the table on a pitiful six points, time is running out to turn this situation around. Already the third-from bottom clubs have double their points tally and confidence is at an all-time low.
Bari were expected to be in a similar position, having just been promoted from Serie B and struggling financially, but they have proven themselves to be one of the revelations. Level with giants Roma and Napoli in joint ninth place, Giampiero Ventura’s men are a solid force, albeit a very low-scoring one.
Bari are still struggling with an injury crisis, as Mariano Donda, Matteo Paro, Ferdinando Sforzini, Emmanuel Rivas, Alessandro Gazzi, Salvatore Masiello, Edgar Alvarez and Vitalii Kutuzov are all unlikely to feature. Alessandro Parisi is back in business and Sergio Almiron grows more effective in midfield with each game.
Siena remain with the only long-term absentees, Luca Rossettini and Francesco Parravicini, but there is curiosity over which tactic Malesani will choose. Initial reports suggest a 4-4-2 with Michele Paolucci and Massimo Maccarone upfront. It would give Reginaldo and Michele Fini the wide roles.
REVIEW: