Novara Calcio vs Palermo preview - Mutti: Palermo can do well

Posted Wednesday, December 21, 2011 by PA

Newly-appointed Palermo coach Bortolo Mutti believes he must first lift his players' spirits if they are to start winning games again.

Mutti, in charge for the first time at Novara, replaced Devis Mangia this week.

The club decided to make a change after the 2-0 defeat at Catania on Sunday, their seventh defeat of the campaign.

The result dropped Palermo to 10th place.

"I accepted the offer to come here because I believe this team has the players and the possibility of doing well," Mutti said. "I am confident they have what it takes to obtain the desired results.

"I certainly cannot change things overnight so I won't be revolutionising much of the team's game.

"The first thing will be to work on the team's psychological and mental condition in order to get the players fired up."

Palermo have claimed just one victory in their last five league games and are without a win on the road.

Mutti is baffled by Palermo's failure to score in their last eight away games.

"The lack of goalscoring on the road for a team like Palermo is surprising and inexplicable," Mutti said.

Mutti has a long list of absentees for his first match in charge.

Top-scorer Fabrizio Miccoli is out with a thigh problem and both midfielder Eran Zahavi and striker Abel Hernandez are also injured and unable to play.

To complicate matters further for Mutti, striker Mauricio Pinilla must serve a one-match ban.

The only consolation for the visitors is that defender Ezequiel Munoz and midfielder Afriyie Acquah are going to return from suspension.

Rivals Novara have won just one of their last 12 games and go into the encounter at the Silvio Piola stadium on the back of a 2-0 defeat at Juventus.

The result dropped Novara to 19th place, three points adrift of safety.

Novara coach Attilio Tesser will be without defenders Paolo Dellafiore and Matteo Centurioni through injury and suspension respectively.