Bari will be aiming to strengthen their grip on a Serie B play-off spot on Friday night with a victory that could finally put Cittadella out of their misery.

The Granata’s days in the second tier have looked numbered for a couple of months, with their last win at Juve Stabia nothing more than a small speck in the rearview mirror, way back on March 1.

Since then they have slipped eight places to second bottom in the table and while Sunday’s draw against Frosinone halted a run of three straight defeats, the numbers do not make pleasant reading for the Venetians.

A haul of 27 goals in 36 games is the lowest in the league while at the other end of the pitch only Sudtirol and Mantova have conceded more than the 53 that Cittadella have let in. They also have the unwanted record of most defeats in the division, losing 18 times across the campaign.

A 19th loss paired with a point for Brescia, who are three points ahead in 16th, will send Alessandro Dal Canto’s side down to Serie C for the first time since 2015 – with 17th-placed Salernitana or 18th-placed Sampdoria guaranteed to be out of reach as they face each other. Cittadella could also be relegated if they draw, depending on results elsewhere.

Speaking after the Frosinone game, Dal Canto said: “We have to recover more nervous energy than rest because there is nine days left. It’s not a matter of physicality, but the emotional aspect.”

For Bari, the task is straightforward. They are now clinging on to the final play-off spot having looked comfortable as a top-eight side for much of the season. On the same points as Cesena in ninth, they are a point behind seventh-placed Palermo and two off Catanzaro in sixth.

Sunday’s 1-0 win at home against Pisa did not put too much of a dampener on the visitors’ promotion party but it did ease the pressure on Bari boss Moreno Longo.

He had lost two in a row and three of their last five before Nicholas Bonfanti earned them the points at the weekend.

The Biancorossi boss let his assistant do the talking following the Pisa game, just three days after a shock defeat at relegated Cosenza.

Dario Migliaccio said: “It was important to have a reaction after Cosenza and I must say that there was one, as has already happened at other times in the season. It is a shame that we lacked a bit of continuity that would have allowed us to take a further step. We are working on it.

“It was a performance worthy of Bari against a very strong opponent. The standings are very tight, keep your head down and pedal. The positive thing is that we no longer depend on others.”

Longo will be without suspended midfielders Ahmad Benali and Mattia Maita.

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