Salernitana and Frosinone will meet for the first time in their history in Serie A. The teams have played each other frequently over the past few years in the lower league, but this weekend’s opening will be their first encounter.
Preview (Salernitana vs. Frosinone)
Salernitana enters a match that hasn’t seen many goals lately because of their recent offensive struggles. Only four goals have been scored in the last five encounters between the two teams. It includes two scoreless stalemates. The hosts have failed to score in their last two Serie A contests. This season, Antonio Candreva has been the driving force behind everything positive for the Salerno team. He not only scored the game-winning goal in their Coppa Italia victory against Ternana but also two incredible goals on the opening day against Roma. Their lone other victory this season was a 1-1 draw against Udinese. It was his assist for Boulaye Dia that made it possible.
However, defeats without a goal against Lecce and Torino soon followed. A potentially crucial 3-0 loss to Torino put a stop to a nine-game home unbeaten record that had been instrumental in their last season’s survival. Salernitana’s ability to compete in their third straight top-flight season is almost amazing. They may face another challenge akin to the one they encountered in 2021–2022. Their attempt to maintain their position at the top of Italian football may depend on their ability to permanently sign Dia from Villarreal and keep him despite Premier League interest. His 16 goals last season were a major contributing element.
Frosinone joined Serie A more recently. They have had a strong start and is currently ranked among the top teams in Europe. The freshly promoted team has seven points from four games. Their lone loss came on the opening day versus Napoli. The lone defeat Frosinone has suffered in their last 13 competitive games is the forgiving loss. Eusebio Di Francesco’s team scored six goals in two outstanding home victories against Atalanta and Sassuolo, and they also managed to hold Udinese to a tie. Frosinone has yet to lose on the road in 2023. Their away form has continued to be a key factor in their title victory.
Team News
Flavius Daniliuc, a defender for Salernitana, will be absent after undergoing surgery lately, while Lassana Coulibaly will also be missing due to a muscle issue. Given the significance of the Senegalese forward, Dia’s replacement will present Paulo Sousa with a significant challenge. Erik Botheim has been filling in, but in 32 Serie A games, the Norwegian has scored just once. For this match, Frosinone will be without Abdou Harroui and Sergio Kalaj, and Karlo Lulic is still on the injured list. In the final week of the transfer period, the club added nine players, several of whom were young loanees.
The most significant newcomers were Reinier from Real Madrid, Arijon Ibrahimovic from Bayern Munich, Matias Soule and Kaio Jorge, all from Juventus. Mehdi Bourabia and Pol Lirola have more experience, and last week, the latter scored against Sassuolo as a late substitute. Recent matches between these sides have not frequently resulted in goals, so another cagey matchup may be in the works. Salernitana has suffered greatly in front of goal without Dia, though, and an in-form Frosinone might just win this tight-looking contest.
Salernitana 0 – 1 Frosinone
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