De Ascentis: Ascoli will be a key match

di Andrea Rosselli

In view of next Sunday's away match against bottom-placed Ascoli, where they will try to collect the fifth straight positive result, Toro have lost a regular due to a one-match ban (midfielder Simone Barone), but recover another one who missed the San Siro contest for the same reason, defender Marco Di Loreto.

The former Palermo player should be the only sidelined man for the Granata, who sustained a double training session on Wednesday: everybody is healthy and available for coach Alberto Zaccheroni, who could test some new solutions during Thursday's usual midweek friendly.

Before the start of the afternoon session, veteran midfielder Diego De Ascentis met the press and answered a few questions about Toro's positive moment. "We keep our feet on the ground" he said "a few weeks ago we were a disaster and the coach seemed about to be fired, now the fans are already talking about a possible qualification for the European Cups…sure, that would be great and actually our position in the table is very good, but we must be cautious. That being said, Zaccheroni always tells us to keep on improving: it's a matter of mentality, we don't have to feel satisfied, even after three victories and a draw in San Siro. In this view, next Sunday's match will be a very important test for us: it's easy to be motivated against an opponent like Milan, but now we must show the same attitude against Ascoli as well".

In the meantime, the rumors about Toro's moves in the upcoming January transfer market keep on growing. The first necessity is to trade a few players who haven't found room so far, and therefore reduce the current 29-men roster: Fabio Gallo should join Modena, Claudio Ferrarese has an offer by Verona and Matteo Melara was requested by Sampdoria. As for the possible newcomers, both Zaccheroni and president Cairo have repeatedly stated that right now the club isn't planning any purchase.