Salernitana host Lecce in Serie A on Friday, with the visitors still searching for their first win since being promoted.
The hosts, meanwhile, have drawn four of their opening six matches, suggesting they will prove much tougher to beat than when narrowly surviving on the final day of last season.
In truth, The Garnets were hugely fortunate to escape the Juventus Stadium with a 2-2 draw on Sunday, even accounting for the fact that they led 2-0 at half-time.
Strikes from Antonio Candreva and Krzysztof Piatek had provided the visitors with a shock two-goal cushion, but Bremer’s well-taken header six minutes after the break breathed new life into Juventus as they went in search of completing a terrific comeback.
Leonardo Bonucci dramatically equalised in injury-time before Arkadiusz Milik looked to have won it at the death with an excellent header from a corner, but Bonucci was harshly adjudged to have been interfering in an offside position, leading to wild scenes after Milik was shown a second yellow card for taking his shirt off despite the Pole’s winner being chalked off.
Head coach Davide Nicola, who has provided a hugely positive impact since taking over in February, will hope for a more routine match against Lecce on Friday, as Salernitana aim to record their second league win of the season and potentially leapfrog Juventus into eighth position in Serie A in the process.
Lecce, meanwhile, have struggled to adapt to the step up in class after winning Serie B last season to return to Italy’s top flight.
However, their 1-1 draw at home to fellow newly-promoted outfit Monza on Sunday did at least ensure they remained outside of the relegation zone, with three draws and three defeats enough to keep them in 17th position heading into the weekend.
In a game devoid of any major quality, Joan Gonzalez Canellas levelled the proceedings three minutes after half-time, after Stefano Sensi had provided the visitors with the lead shortly after the half-hour mark.
Marco Baroni will be more than aware that a better performance from his team will likely be required if they are to avoid defeat in Salerno on Friday, having seen their forthcoming opponents invest heavily in their playing squad during the summer.
Salernitana Serie A form:
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Lecce Serie A form:
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We say: Salernitana 1-0 Lecce
We expect Salernitana to hold Lecce at arms length and find a second league win of the season.
The investment in their playing staff during the summer has clearly paid off by making them tougher to beat, but the hosts must prove they can consistently beat teams who they are expected to finish above in the table.