After the short break in Serie B, Pisa will want to continue their good form.
Filippo Inzaghi’s side have been the surprise package of calcio‘s second tier this season, and currently sit just three points behind Sassuolo in the race to win the league.
At the very least, Pisa are looking very good for promotion. Their last foray in the Italian top flight last came in 1991, when a team containing a very young Diego Simeone and Jose Chamot suffered relegation despite gathering eight wins over the course of the campaign.
Pisa have since spent the last 34 years in football purgatory, bouncing between Serie B and the lower reaches of the Italian game.
This season, however, has been remarkably different.
Inzaghi’s side have won 13 games from 20 and produced a statement victory against Sassulo in a top-of-the-table clash between the two on Boxing Day at a packed Stadio Romeo Anconetani.
Now with the winter break out of the way, thoughts turn to welcoming Carrarese to the Garibaldi, as Pisa’s ground is also known.
Carrarese are themselves another one of the surprise packages of the Serie B season. In Italian football’s second tier for the first time since 1948, the side formerly owned by Gigi Buffon has so far punched above its weight.
They find themselves in the heady heights of eighth place in the table and are within reach of inserting themselves fully into the play-off picture, something that would’ve been unthinkable six months ago.
This fixture is also a west Tuscan derby, with the two clubs only a 50-minute drive from one another, adding to the sense of excitement around the game. In fact, this is the only Tuscan derby in Serie B this season, with Fiorentina in Serie A and the likes of Livorno, Siena, Lucchese and others in Serie C or Serie D.
Moreover, this is the first time the two sides have met in Serie B.
The big news for Pisa is concerning whether new striker Henrik Meister joining the club from French side Rennes this month.
The 21-year-old only joined Rennes six months ago from Norwegian outfit Sarpsborg, but struggled to adapt to his new surroundings despite scoring on his debut.
The Dane, standing at a colossal 6ft 2in, has arrived at Pisa on a six-month loan with the option to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
Pisa aren’t currently struggling for goals, only Sassuolo have scored more, and Meister’s arrival represents a no-risk gamble. He will add extra firepower for Inzaghi and will find a compatriot already at the club in the shape of Alexander Lind.
Carrarese, meanwhile, are on a run of five games undefeated and will go into the game with plenty of confidence. Manager Antonio Calabro, in his first season with the club, has more than surpassed expectations, with most speculating that Carrarese would be in line for the drop at the beginning of the campaign.
A win for Pisa would keep pressure on the Neroverdi at the top of the table, while a surprise win for Carrarese would keep them firmly in the playoff positions, and keep wild dreams alive of a historic first entry into the big time.
