On the pitch Salernitana-Sassuolo 0-0
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Sixteen years ago Salernitana and Sassuolo met for the first time in a Lega Pro Super Cup final that smiled on the neroverdi after the penalty shoot-out.
For the Emilians, then led on the bench by Massimiliano Allegri, it was the beginning of an incredible climb, which then continued with the dispute of eleven championships in a row in Serie A. Salernitana, however, after an impromptu return among the cadets, was forced to start again from the ashes of Serie D and then rise in ten years to the Olympus of football.
Glories that, today, seem like faded memories for the two teams that will meet again tomorrow evening at the Arechi stadium, in a match that feels like a final for both. The Granata, last and with more than one foot in Serie B (the fourth-last place is 11 points away), have the duty to save face and close a totally unsuccessful season in the most dignified way possible; the neroverdi, who are ahead of the Campania team in the standings, need vital points to remain hooked to the salvation train.
Salernitana-Sassuolo, therefore, will be an authentic final but in a half-empty stadium. The Granata's extremely disappointing run (20 defeats out of 30 matches) ended up extinguishing the enthusiasm that had been fueled in the last two years, thanks to the exploits written by president Danilo Iervolino's club. The entrepreneur from Palma Campania has also ended up in the sights of the square which is now asking for clarity on what the future programs will be. A similar climate can be felt at Sassuolo where one of the most beautiful fairy tales of recent football risks being shattered.
On the bench there will be a hot challenge between two veterans: on the one hand there will be Stefano Colantuono, fourth coach of the season of the granata who the club - after having entrusted him with the coordination of the youth sector - asked to carry the team until the end of the season; Davide Ballardini, a coach expert in impossible saves and in whose hands Sassuolo has entrusted its hopes of salvation, will sit a few steps away from the Anzio coach. A challenge within a challenge that will be worth a lot for both places.
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