Atalanta vs Pescara preview - Bucchi backs Pescara to produce

Posted Sunday, March 10, 2013 by PA

Cristian Bucchi has promised to shake his players out of their current malaise as he starts life as Pescara's third head coach of the season at Atalanta.

The 36-year-old has the unenviable task of succeeding where Giovanni Stroppa and Cristiano Bergodi failed by successfully leading the east-coast club to survival in their first season back in the top flight.

Seven defeats from his last eight games in charge were enough to see Bergodi dismissed from the Stadio Adriatico and former youth-team coach Bucchi's mission to reverse the slide begins in Bergamo.

At his unveiling, he said: "The club has been very brave in giving their backing to a young man.

"I'm sorry to see what's happened to us in the league over recent weeks, I will give the lads a shake and encourage them."

Pescara currently enjoy a share of last place with Siena and Palermo, with 17th-placed Genoa five points away going into the weekend's fixtures.

"There are 11 games left so we will go into every match planning to win," Bucchi added.

"I will ask my players to rediscover the enthusiasm that they have lost recently. Everyone has given up on us so we will try to prove them wrong.

"Bergodi and Stroppa both did a good job and that's why Pescara are still in contention."

Eugenio Togni, Ferdinando Sforzini, Francesco Modesto and Ciro Capuano will not travel to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia due to injury.

Things are looking brighter for Atalanta, however, as the Nerazzurri pulled nine points clear of the drop zone with a vital 2-0 win at Siena.

A home fixture against the league's bottom side presents an ideal opportunity to kick on and launch a late assault on the top half of the table, but head coach Stefano Colantuono is remaining grounded.

He told La Repubblica: "We can now afford to be a bit calmer but this is a season that is full of surprises and so we can never let our guard down."

Gian Bellini, Lionel Scaloni and Guido Marilungo miss out through injury while midfielder Carlos Carmona serves a one-match ban.