On Sunday afternoon, Ascoli hosts Genoa in a game that could be pivotal at the top of Serie B, with both teams seeking promotion.
The home team is currently just a point adrift of the promotion play-off spots. However, they are also just four points clear of the relegation play-off spots too, so they need to keep winning their games.
A 2-0 defeat by Pisa last time out in Serie B means that Ascoli has now failed to win in five league games. The game also saw Ascoli concede at least two goals for the third straight Serie B match.
One aspect of Ascoli’s game that needs to improve if they are to push up the table rather than tumble down it is their home form.
Christian Bucchi’s team has won just once in their last seven home matches in Serie B, a run which includes three defeats in their previous five league games on home soil.
The visitors are within touching distance of the automatic promotion spots, just three points adrift of second place Reggina in the standings. However, Alberto Gilardino’s team have hit a poor run of league form of late.
A 2-0 victory over Sudtirol last time out in Serie B ended a five-game winless run for Genoa in the Italian second tier.
The game continued a recent trend of low-scoring games for the visitors, as five of Genoa’s last six league games have produced under 2.5 goals.
Genoa’s recent away record in Serie B is mixed, as they have won three and lost three of their last six away games in the league. However, they now suffered back-to-back league defeats on their travels.
Forebet predicts that Genoa will record a victory in a relatively high-scoring encounter to boost their hopes of automatic promotion.