Verona Vs Venezia

Hellas Verona will look to halt a three-match losing streak when they face fellow Serie A strugglers Venezia at Stadio Bentegodi on Friday evening. The two regional rivals are only two points apart in the standings, meaning a victory for Venezia would see them leapfrog Verona and escape the relegation zone.

Match Preview

Verona kicked off their season impressively with a commanding victory over Napoli but have since slid down the table after a series of disappointing results. Last weekend's defeat to Como came after previous losses to Torino and Lazio, marking their third consecutive league loss.

In the clash with Como, Verona found themselves trailing shortly before halftime. However, Darko Lazovic's penalty gave them hope as it leveled the score. But that optimism was short-lived when Tomas Suslov received a controversial second yellow card, leaving Verona with ten men. In their weakened state, they conceded two more goals and ultimately lost 3-2, leaving Lombardy empty-handed.

Now sitting 14th in the table with just six points from six matches, Paolo Zanetti's team is desperate to avoid a fourth straight defeat. Friday's encounter holds extra significance for Zanetti, who will face his former club Venezia, where he was at the helm when these two sides last met in Serie A in February 2022. On that occasion, Verona triumphed at home, with Giovanni Simeone bagging a hat-trick in a commanding win.

Verona had the upper hand in both of their last Serie A meetings with Venezia, netting seven goals across the two encounters, as Venezia struggled through a relegation-bound season. However, following Venezia's promotion from Serie B last year under Paolo Vanoli, the managerial reins have now been handed to Eusebio Di Francesco, who also previously coached Verona.

Di Francesco's tenure has been turbulent, and there were even rumors of his dismissal before Venezia secured their first victory of the campaign against Genoa two weeks ago. However, their momentum was halted again last weekend with a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Roma, one of Di Francesco's former clubs. Venezia took the lead through Joel Pohjanpalo, but Bryan Cristante's deflected long-range shot equalized for Roma, and the home side went on to claim a late winner.

That defeat leaves Venezia languishing in 19th place with just four points. To make matters worse, they are enduring an 11-game winless streak away from home in Serie A, dating back to their previous stint in Italy's top flight. As they head to Verona, Venezia will be hoping to turn around their fortunes and claim a crucial victory to boost their chances of survival in the league.