It seems fitting that with the Giro d’Italia starting on Friday, the race for the Serie B play-offs looks set to deliver a grandstand finish as four teams jostle for the remaining three spots.

Sassuolo and Pisa have punched their ticket to Serie A, while Spezia, Cremonese and Juve Stabia have all mathematically secured a post-season berth with two games to spare, leaving Catanzaro, Palermo, Bari and Cesena with no room for error.

Two points separate Catanzaro in sixth from ninth-placed Cesena, who are level on points with Bari but would miss out on the top eight due to their inferior head-to-head record against the Galletti if the season were to end now.

A point adrift of Catanzaro in seventh place, Palermo remain in charge of their own destiny going into the penultimate game of the season, which is pretty much where the good news ends for them ahead of Frosinone’s visit to the Renzo Barbera on Friday.

At the end of March, Alessio Dionisi conceded Palermo were still searching for their identity, a startling admission from the manager of a play-off candidate.

Dionisi’s plea seemed to have been answered as the Sicilians won three of their next four to open up a four-point gap to ninth place by mid-April, but three defeats in their last four outings threaten to derail their season.

Since thumping Sassuolo 5-3 on April 6, they lost away to Bari and Cesena, while the feelgood factor of their 3-1 win in Catanzaro lasted just a few days before they squandered a one-goal lead to lose at home to Sudtirol.

The defeat at the Dino Manuzzi on Sunday cut Palermo’s margin over Bari and Cesena to a point and put Dionisi back under the spotlight.

The former Sassuolo manager has never won over the fans at the Barbera and looked on the verge of being sacked in March, after his team squandered a two-goal lead with 20 minutes left to lose 3-2 at home to Cremonese.

Handed a surprising stay of execution, Dionisi looked to have turned things around as Palermo built up a head of steam in April, but he now finds himself again under pressure after a dismal run of form.

Missing out on the play-offs would almost certainly spell the end for Dionisi, who has been backed to the tune of £10million worth of signings over the summer and winter transfer windows by City Football Group in a bid to restore the club to Serie A for the first time in eight years.

It is no coincidence that a dip in performances has coincided with a goal drought for Joel Pohjanpalo. Signed for £3.4m from Venezia in the January transfer window, the Finland international scored nine in his first nine appearances but has not scored in the past three.

Getting Pohjanpalo back among the goals would go a long way towards clinching a play-off spot and the arrival of Frosinone offers reasons for optimism.

I Canarini have kept just one clean sheet in their last seven outings and are winless in their last five after a run of four consecutive victories dragged them out of the drop zone. But they remain just one point clear of the relegation play-off spot after drawing against 19th-placed Cittadella on Sunday.

And yet, while Frosinone desperately need points to cement their Serie B status, the pressure on Friday night will all be on the Rosanero, the only team chasing a play-off spot to play both of their remaining fixtures are at home, with Carrarese due at the Barbera next week.

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