With three points separating two of the bottom three entering into the weekend, this was a straight-up relegation war. Alfred Duncan was out for the Lagunari, who had dropped their last four games, while Jesse Joronen was back on the bench. Due to injuries to Maxi Perrone, Sergi Roberto, and Alberto Moreno, Cesc Fabregas had three draws in the previous eight rounds. It was quite challenging for both teams because of the bad weather, which included chilly temperatures, a lot of rain, and, most importantly, gale-force winds of 70 km/h.

In the first few minutes, Gabriel Strefezza forced a flying save from Filip Stankovic, but a little piece of luck gave Venezia the lead. From a distance, the Hans Nicolussi Caviglia snapshot appeared to be under control until it struck Joel Pohjanpalo's ankle, and Pepe Reina was totally caught off guard by the deflection. Marco Sala was keeping him on his side.