It seems very in keeping with the way that the 2022/23 season has panned out that things have still not come to a close. There is going to be a relegation playoff in Serie A and it will be competed by Spezia and Hellas Verona.
The two sides finished on the same points on the final day of the Serie A season, thanks to defeats against AC Milan for Verona and AS Roma for Spezia. Spezia have the better head-to-head record, but the new rule means that the final relegation spot, as well as the title, cannot be decided by head-to-head.
That means they must play each other in a one off game on Sunday to determine who will stay in Serie A, and who will go down to Serie B. The Spezia and Verona players will have to make sure that they leave absolutely nothing on the pitch on Sunday.
Spezia vs Verona: Predicted line-ups
Considering both coaches will have played their best possible starting eleven for the final game of the season in an attempt to stay in Serie A, there may not be many changes for the playoff. Spezia will be without Kevin Amian as he was sent off against AS Roma and Emmanuel Gyasi is also suspended.
Verona have endured an injury-ravaged season and they will still be without Thomas Henry, Kevin Lasagna, Pawel Dawidowicz and Ondrej Duda. Those injuries cannot be seen as the sole reason for their potential relegation, as the Gialloblu have underwhelmed all season long.
Spezia predicted XI vs Verona (3-5-2): Dragowski; Wisniekwski, Ampadu, Nikolau; Ferrer, Bourabia, Esposito, Zurkowski, Reca; Shomurodov, Nzola.
Verona predicted XI vs Spezia (3-4-2-1): Montipo; Magnani, Hien, Ceccherini; Faraoni, Tameze, Veloso, Depaoli; Lazovic, Verdi; Duric.
Spezia vs Verona: When does the Serie A relegation playoff start?
The Serie A relegation playoff fixture of Spezia vs Verona kicks off at 20:45 CEST on Sunday, June 11. That makes it a 19:45 BST kick-off.
In the United States, kick-off of Spezia vs Verona is 14:45 EDT or 11:45 PDT.
Spezia vs Verona: Where to watch the Serie A relegation playoff?
The Serie A relegation playoff fixture between Spezia and Verona will be televised in the United Kingdom and Ireland on the BT Sport website and on the BT Sport App.
As is the case for all Serie A games, in the Unites States of America the relegation playoff will be televised in Paramount+.
