Venezia and Monza need to win

Second bottom versus bottom, and the obligation to win. This match is almost like an early relegation play-out tie: Venezia have a five-point gap to make up on 17th-place Lecce, who sit eleven points ahead of Monza. While the Brianzoli are hanging on by a thread, the Lagunari are looking for their first victory since beating Cagliari on 22 December. A win would be huge in the battle at the bottom.

HEAD TO HEAD

In the 2000s, Venezia remained unbeaten in four (W3 D1) of the five matches played against Monza in Serie A and Serie B; the exception in this period was the match lost by the Venetians at home 0-2 in December 2020 in Serie B (goals by Carlos Augusto and Dany Mota for the Biancorossi). In Serie A and Serie B, only two of Monza's 13 wins against Venezia have come away from home; however, one of these was achieved by them in their last away meeting on 11 December 2020, in Serie B (0-2).

DID YOU KNOW?

After four consecutive wins, Monza have not won any of their last six matches (D3 L3) against newly promoted teams in Serie A: the last time they won against these opponents in the competition was in March 2024, against Cagliari (1-0 at home), with Raffaele Palladino as manager. Monza have lost all of their last eight away league games, conceding at least two goals in each of them (24 in total, three per game); the last team to have a longer streak of consecutive away defeats with at least two goals conceded in the top-flight were Crotone between December 2020 and April 2021 (10). Venezia have not won in 14 league games (D8 L6) – their last win in Serie A was on 22 December against Cagliari (2-1 at home) – and they could remain without a win for 15 games in a row for the first time since the period between March 2000 and December 2001 (21). Venezia have failed to score in their last four Serie A games played at the Penzo and could go five consecutive home games without scoring for the first time in a single top-flight season (four also in 2001/02). Monza have conceded the most headed goals in Serie A this season – 17, almost three times as many as Venezia (six) have conceded; considering the last 20 Serie A seasons (since 2005/06), only one team has conceded more headed goals in an entire season: Parma, in 2005/06 and 2020/21 (19 in both cases). Venezia and Monza are the two teams that have had the fewest direct attacks in the current tournament (29 and 24 respectively); however, while Monza have scored four goals via a direct attack, Venezia are only one of two teams, together with Genoa, without such a goal.

PLAYERS

Christian Gytkjær wore the Monza shirt for three seasons, making a total of 82 appearances and scoring 21 goals in Serie A and Serie B (playoffs included); both goals scored by him in the current tournament with Venezia came away from home, while at Penzo he hasn't found the net in the league for almost a year (26 April 2024, against Cremonese in the second division). Dany Mota (who scored against Como in the last round) could score in two matches in a row for only the second time in Serie A, also doing so last October against Roma and Hellas Verona. In the top-flight and Serie B (playoffs included), he is the player currently active with the most goals scored for Monza (32), 11 more than those scored by his former teammate Christian Gytkjær (21).

DISCIPLINE

Suspended: Kyriakopoulos (Monza) Cautioned: Idzes, Perez (Venezia); Carboni (Monza)

REFEREES

MARESCA (MOKHTAR – FONTEMURATO) IV: COLLU, VAR: DI PAOLO, AVAR: VOLPI

UPCOMING MATCHES IN SERIE A

Empoli-Venezia (Sunday 20 April, 15.00 CEST) Monza-Napoli (Saturday 19 April, 18.00 CEST) (Photo Getty Images)