Spezia vs Hellas Verona: Relegation play-off tie set to make history on Sunday

Topics: Spezia, Hellas Verona, Serie A

For the first time in nearly 20 years, there will be a relegation play-off to decide who remains in Serie A and who will be relegated to Serie B.

On Sunday, a historic tie will get underway in Italian football's top flight. Although the regular Serie A season has already concluded, with Napoli winning their first Scudetto in 33 years, for two teams, this upcoming game will be just as important as any major final.

For the first time in nearly 20 years, there will be a relegation play-off tie in Serie A, following changes that were made at the start of the 2022/23 campaign. The two teams that will feature are Spezia and Hellas Verona, who finished in 17th and 18th place respectively. However, as they are joint-tied on 31 points, their fates will be decided by a one-off match that will be held at a neutral venue, with interestingly, Sassuolo's MAPEI Stadium playing hosts.

Although Spezia technically did top Hellas Verona thanks to their better head to head record (one win and one draw), that will count for nothing as the league has decided that points total trumps that. The Aquilotti, who finished the season with a 2-1 reversal against Roma, will hope that key striker M'Bala Nzola, who has netted a career-high 13 league goals for the Aquilotti so far, will once again be a key protagonist as they aim to stay afloat in Serie A.

Hellas Verona, for their part, were beaten 3-1 by AC Milan on matchday 38 but have been given a life-line through this upcoming one-off match. The Gialloblu won just seven matches all season and will be hoping to defeat Spezia in what will be their third meeting with the Aquilotti this season.

So, how does the relegation play-off work? Unlike in Germany, which has theirs contested over two legs, this game in Italy will be a one-off game. If the game is at a stalemate after 90 minutes, it will go straight to penalties as opposed to having the players play through two extra-time periods of 15 minutes.

The last time this happened was in the 2004/05 season, during which Bologna and Parma squared off in a tense Derby dell'Emilia tie to decide who ended up staying in Serie A and who were demoted to Serie B. Unlike Sunday's upcoming game, however, that game was contested over two legs, with Parma winning the series 3-0.

This weekend will see the fates of Spezia and Hellas Verona decided after 90 minutes (or perhaps even more, should it go to penalties). Live Soccer TV has all the info calcio fans need to follow this crunch tie, as it will determine the final team to be competing in Serie A for the 2023/24 season.

Here's how you can catch Spezia vs Hellas Verona from wherever you are based: