Monza, the only Serie A team without a victory this season, will take on Hellas Verona at Stadio Bentegodi on Monday night in an attempt to start winning.
With only four points from seven games, the Biancorossi are in the relegation zone and behind their hosts in the standings.
Just before the international break, Verona defeated regional rivals Venezia to snap a three-game losing run. They did this by overcoming an early goal loss and winning 2-1 thanks to an equalizer from Casper Tengstedt and an own goal from visiting goalkeeper Jesse Joronen.
With nine points from the victory, the Gialloblu moved up to 12th position in the standings and maintained their increased scoring pace since the arrival of Tengstedt and fellow striker Daniel Mosquera in the summer.
In Serie A, Hellas has now won two of their first four home games while losing the rest. They have also yet to draw any league or cup games this season, either at home or away.
There is no reason to panic if Paolo Zanetti's squad falls down against Monza because they are one of only two teams, along with Napoli, to have scored nine goals in the second half this season. They also undoubtedly represent a greater threat after the interval.
Prior to losing the most recent match 3-1 last November, Verona had a six-game winning streak at Stadio Bentegodi, giving them the advantage over Monday's visitors in recent years.
Since joining Serie A two years ago, the Biancorossi have won two games and drawn two versus Verona. Their most recent meeting ended in a goalless draw in Monza.
In their last game before international football stepped in, Alessandro Nesta's team also had to settle for a draw as substitute attacker Dany Mota tied the score at home against Roma.
That could be a good outcome on its own, but it made Monza's league season winless streak seven games long, dropping them to 19th place with four points.
Nesta will be well aware that he was not appointed to spearhead a fight against the drop—Monza finished in mid-table at the end of both Serie A seasons thus far—even though two of the three teams that are still waiting for their first triumph at this point last year went on to avoid relegation.
Despite his team's lack of goal-scoring possibilities, the former Italy defender has some credit because he secured a spot in the Coppa Italia's round of 16, where Bologna will be waiting in December.
The Biancorossi have lost 12 away games since the beginning of the previous season, dating back before Nesta's rule, and are tied with Lecce at the top of that specific table.
