Bologna vs Palermo preview - Miccoli eyes road returns

Palermo striker Fabrizio Miccoli wants his team to start picking up wins away from home in order to defend their Serie A status as soon as possible.

The Sicilians travel to Bologna on Sunday looking to improve their dismal record on the road.

Palermo were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Udinese last weekend to drop to 11th place, nine points clear of the drop zone with nine games remaining.

Safety is still very much in their own hands but, having picked up just five points on their travels and with no away victories under their belt, Miccoli knows his team cannot rest on their laurels.

"We need to keep working hard in order to defend our Serie A status as soon as possible," Miccoli said. "To have taken just five points away from home is simply not good enough.

"Sunday's game at Bologna is important and we will give our all to clinch our first win on the road this season."

Opponents Bologna are level on 36 points with Palermo and saw their three-month unbeaten run on the road come to an end in last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Atalanta.

Bologna captain Marco Di Vaio has demanded an immediate reaction from his team-mates.

"We have to react immediately just as we have done in the past when we have lost a game that we should have won," Di Vaio said.

"We will try to do well against Palermo, trying to understand why we had an under-par performance at Atalanta."

Bologna coach Stefano Pioli will be forced to make wholesale changes to the team that fell to Atalanta, with defender Andrea Raggi and midfielders Gaby Mudingayi and Diego Perez all suspended.

The visitors will be without midfielders Armin Bacinovic and Nicolas Bertolo, with the former out injured and the latter suspended.