18 February 2023
Juventus are expected at the Alberto Picco stadium for the Serie A Matchday 23 encounter against Spezia.
The Aquilotti sit in 17th place in the league table after four wins, seven draws and 11 defeats. Their 19-point total puts them one place above the drop zone, just two points ahead of third-last Hellas Verona.
The precarious position was exacerbated last weekend when Spezia drew with Empoli despite holding a 2-0 lead with just 20 minutes to play, while Verona defeated Salernitana. The situation prompted the club to bring an end to Luca Gotti's tenure as coach.
THE SEASON SO FAR
The Aquilotti have won just one of their eight matches since club football resumed after the World Cup.
Although January started positively with two draws, including a 2-2 with Atalanta, and a success over Torino, Spezia have failed to win any of the last five games, which also saw them dumped out of the Coppa Italia after a second meeting in two weeks against Atalanta.
The cup defeat was the first of four losses in succession, three of which in the league, against Roma, Bologna and Napoli, all without scoring.
Including the 0-0 draw with Lecce on Matchday 17, Spezia have not scored at home for 329 minutes of play, since M'Bala Nzola's goal in the 31st minute of Spezia-Atalanta. It is the longest goalless run at home for the Ligurians in the Italian top division.
The match against the side from Bergamo saw Spezia concede what had been a two-goal advantage in stoppage time. A scenario that was repeated last weekend against at Empoli.
It is at the Picco that Spezia's inability to hold on to a lead has been most costly, having dropped 10 points from a leading position in home games, only rivals Verona have done worse.
THE COACH
While the club continues its search for Gotti's permanent replacement, Fabrizio Lorieri has taken over as caretaker. Against Juve, he will make his debut as first team coach.
A former goalkeeper, Lorieri started off in fact as a goalkeeping coach. In his playing days, he came through the Inter Academy but was kept out of the first team by Italy international Walter Zenga.
Lorieri's Serie A breakthough arrived at Torino in the mid-80s. In the top flight he also turned out for Ascoli, Roma and Lecce.
After hanging up his gloves, he took up the position as goalkeeping coach at Catanzaro in 2005 before joining Empoli one year later as assitant to Luigi Cagni, who had hired him at Catanzaro. Spells as goalkeeping coach at Parma, Lecce, Sassuolo, Sampdoria followed.
In June 2022 he was named as assitant to Gotti, who had replaced Thiago Motta in charge of Spezia.
