Spezia have two games to retain their Serie A status as they welcome Torino to the Stadio Alberto Picco on the penultimate weekend of the season.
Coach Leonardo Semplici will be targeting this game as a chance to pick up valuable points in their relegation battle with Verona and Lecce. The hosts head into this clash one place and one point above safety, and face a final game of the season away at Jose Mourinho's Roma, who are themselves desperately chasing a Champions League place.
Defeat for Spezia here could leave them in a perilous position depending on how Verona get on at home to Empoli on the same day.
The good news for the Liguria side is that they have built a slight bit of momentum of late, picking up an outstanding 2-0 win over AC Milan at home and drawing away 0-0 with relegation rivals lecce. Two clean sheets in a row will certainly inspire some belief among home fans.
Opponents Torino have absolutely nothing to play for in these final two weeks as they can no longer mathematically reach the final European qualification spot, currently occupied by Turin rivals Juventus.
Despite hopes of finishing in the top 7 being faint for a while now, Ivan Jurić's side have quietly remained rather consistent, losing just once in their last seven games, conceding only 5 goals in the process. That solitary defeat came against Champions League chasing Atalanta and that run has included a 1-0 away win over high-flying Lazio.
Torino will certainly be a tough nut to crack for Spezia here. They don't score many goals but they don't concede many either, and that balance is usually enough to see them pick up 0-0 or 1-1 draws and often 2-1 or 2-0 wins.
Spezia will hope that Torino aren't really in the mood with any hope of qualifying for the Europa Conference League now an impossibility.
One statistic which will give the relative newcomers to Serie A great hope is that they have won three of five meetings with Torino since earning promotion to the Italian top flight for the first time back in 2020. Torino have won once, and the other game ended in a draw.
In fact, the two games played at Spezia's charming 11,000 seater Stadio Alberto Picco ended in 1-0 and 4-1 wins for the home side. They've had joy against Torino on home soil, and with far more motivation to go out and win the game, Spezia will rightly be quite confident going into this one. As long as their players can handle the pressure, they will believe they can pick up three points.
One downside for the hosts is that they possess a laundry list of potential absentees this weekend including left back João Moutinho, right back Emil Holm, midfielder Julius Beck and attacking midfielder Daniel Maldini, among others. Some of these may be ruled fit to start, while others may miss out.
Visitors Torino are rather fortunate in that their only notable absentee will likely be winger Nemanja Radonjic who is a doubt for this one, but may play.
Fans in the UK can watch this match live on TV on BT Sport 3 or online via live streaming on the BT Sport app or website.
Expert Insight: Given Torino's fantastically solid defence of late, and the pressure to score which those Spezia forwards will surely be feeling, it's tough to see the hosts repeating that 4-1 win they recorded back in 2021. However, if they keep things tight and stay disciplined, they might just steal a goal, grab all three points and move one very important step towards safety.
Serie A