Joel Pohjanpalo could be in for a tough night as Palermo look to maintain their status as promotion favourites when Bari arrive in Sicily on Friday.

Filippo Inzaghi’s side share top spot in the Serie B table after three games – sitting alongside Modena, Cesena and Frosinone – and Pohjanpalo has been playing his part.

The Finland international striker has scored three times in those opening matches, including both goals in the 2-0 win on the long trip north to face Sudtirol last weekend.

Bari boss Fabio Caserta said: “He is a great finisher, he has shown it throughout his career and has been demonstrating it again this season. We need to make sure we don’t give him any space. We need to behave as a team. But besides him there are many other players who are difficult.”

The 31-year-old Pohjanpalo now has more goals than Friday night’s opponents as Bari struggle to shake off the dip that started towards the tail end of last season.

They fell out of play-off contention when it mattered most and since beating Palermo on April 11 have won just one league game in eight – against Pisa in May.

Caserta’s only point of the season came from a home draw with Monza, in between defeats at Venezia and Modena, and only pointless Sampdoria sit below them in the table.

But the former Catanzaro boss does have reason to be cheerful.

Christian Gytkjaer is in the squad for the first time this term and Caserta said: “We’ve missed him, he’s crucial for us. He trained with the team and trained well. We’ll have to decide whether to start him or bring him on but he’s available.” 

The Bari boss is unlikely to change too much despite losing 3-0 at Modena last time out, although he has demanded they start better, having fallen behind in every game.

He said: “We must work to avoid starting games uphill. It’s not about one player, it’s a team issue. We’re up against a strong opponent, in a passionate stadium with a big crowd. The key is avoiding the mistakes we made in Modena and staying competitive until the final whistle.”

Like Bari, Palermo also had a wobble late last season and they crashed out of the play-offs in the first round. But Inzaghi wasted no time in picking them up following his arrival from Pisa.

With the match heading for a sell out, the crowd are playing their part after Inzaghi, earlier in the summer, said: “I can’t wait to fill the Renzo Barbera and show other teams just how difficult it is to play against us.”

And after watching Pohjanpalo and Co keep their end of the bargain, he called for more of the same.

He said: “We have to keep this mentality until May. We know how good we are. If we had just turned up with our talent, we would have lost. We can’t rely on talent alone, we have to be prepared to make it a fight.”

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