League leaders Palermo are again in action in the latest triple-header of Serie B fixtures live on Destination Calcio TV.
The Sicilians, who opened up a five-point gap at the top of the table last weekend by beating second-placed Mantova, host Carrarese on Sunday, with the Tuscans arriving on the back of two consecutive wins.
The DCTV cameras will also be at the Stadio Castellani on Friday night as Empoli and Vicenza look to end their winless streaks, which stretch to four and six games respectively.
On Saturday, there’s a battle between two of the promoted teams that are punching above their weight, as ninth-placed Arezzo, fresh from beating Sampdoria at Marassi, host eighth-placed Benevento, who squandered a two-goal lead before drawing with Vicenza last time out.
Here’s what to expect from the eighth round of the season (kick-off times UK).
Empoli vs Vicenza (Friday, October 23 – 7:30pm)
Empoli’s managerial change is yet to deliver results, with Matteo Andreoletti still waiting for his first win after replacing Guido Pagliuca.
Under their new boss, Empoli lost 4-2 at home to Palermo and were then held to a 1-1 draw at Ascoli. Are the Azzurri drifting dangerously? That’s open to interpretation. Fourteenth in the table, they remain just four points away from a play-off spot, but they are also only three points off the bottom.
It’s a reality Vicenza are familiar with. The Biancorossi are a point behind Empoli in 17th and desperately need to stop the rot if they are to allay fears of a swift return to Serie C.
Keeping a clean sheet now and again would help. Only basement-boys Sampdoria have conceded as many (15) goals as Vicenza. If nothing else, the trip to Benevento last week showed there’s still fight in the Biancorossi, who came back from two goals down to rescue a point three minutes from time.
Arezzo vs Benevento (Saturday, October 24 – 6:30pm)
Last week’s trip to Genoa came at the perfect time for Arezzo, whose first season back in Serie B after two decades looked to be stumbling after two defeats and a draw in the past four fixtures.
The Tuscans trailed Sampdoria early on, but Alessandro Arena swiftly cancelled out Liam Henderson’s opener and Luca Chierico struck in the second half to seal three points for the visitors.
Benevento would have been on the cusp of the top four had they preserved their two-goal lead against Vicenza. The draw halted a run of three straight wins and it was a reminder that there are no easy games in this division.
Palermo vs Carrarese (Sunday, October 25 – 2pm)
At the beginning of the season, Filippo Inzaghi challenged his team to live up to their billing of promotion favourites. Palermo have answered emphatically, winning six of their opening seven games and looking head and shoulders above their rivals.
The only team still unbeaten in Serie B, the Rosanero put down a marker last Saturday afternoon, beating second-placed Mantova 2-0 away from home, courtesy of goals from Jacopo Segre and Hernani.
Pisa and Modena, in third and fourth, are already six points adrift of the Sicilians, whose challenge will now be to keep their foot firmly on the gas. In that respect, Carrarese’s visit is not the straightforward affair that it may have seemed a month ago when Guido Pagliuca replaced Gabriele Cioffi in charge.
The Tuscans followed up a win against Padova by beating promotion-chasing Modena on Saturday to move three points clear of the bottom of the table in 13th place. A third consecutive win may be beyond Carrarese, but Palermo will underestimate Pagliuca’s men at their peril.
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