Catania vs Torino preview - Catania fighting tooth and nail

Posted Saturday, April 05, 2014 by PA

Struggling Catania go into Sunday's match against Torino scrapping for every point they can get in a bid to retain their top-flight status.

Rolando Maran's side lies at the foot of the standings, six points adrift of safety with seven games remaining.

Last weekend's 1-0 defeat at Udinese was Catania's fourth straight loss.

Catania's last victory dates back to February 16 and they have collected one point since.

"We are in a difficult position," Maran said. "But we cannot give up.

"There are still seven games left and we have to continue to fight to avoid the drop.

"We have a tricky game against Torino on Sunday and we must focus all our energy on taking three points."

The Sicilians will have to show a drastic improvement if they are to achieve their aim as they have struggled at both ends of the pitch.

Catania have the weakest attack in the competition with 23 goals scored in 31 games while they have conceded 55 times - the third leakiest defence behind Sassuolo and Livorno.

To complicate matters for Catania, rivals Torino will be bolstered by the return of striker Ciro Immobile for the encounter at the Angelo Massimino Stadium.

Immobile, who is Toro's top scorer with 17 league goals, missed last weekend's 2-1 triumph over Cagliari through suspension.

The victory in Turin all but guaranteed Torino top-flight football next season.

The Granata are 10th in the standings, with 42 points.

"This club needs to return to have a starring role in Serie A," Toro coach Giampiero Ventura said. "We need to look ahead and try to end the season in the best possible way.

"We have taken a step forward this campaign but we still have plenty of room for improvement."

Toro have lot their past three games on the road.