Struggling Siena will look to avoid their fourth straight defeat when they host Catania.

The Tuscan minnows have not won a game since August 30 when they beat Cagliari.

Since then, the Bianconeri have claimed three points while conceding nine times and have dropped to the foot of the table, six points from safety.

Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Bari was another psychological blow for Alberto Malesani's men, who nevertheless put on a good display.

Siena thought they had secured a point before Bari's Giuseppe Grecco struck the winner in injury time.

"We must leave behind our defeat to Bari and concentrate on taking a positive result against Catania," said Malesani.

"It will not be easy because the team's morale is low with our last win dating back to August 30.

"To lose game after game is demoralising for the players.

"But the team has to start gaining confidence and belief in its quality if we are to come out of this situation.

"We have to become a solid team and to stop giving away so many goals."

Siena will need to show a vast improvement, especially in defence, having given away eight goals in their last three games.

The Bianconeri have the weakest backline in the competition, alongside Genoa, with 24 goals conceded in 14 matches.

Unless they change their ways, Malesani's side could find themselves spending an unhappy Christmas at the bottom of the standings.

With Siena ending the year at Palermo, the next two games at home against Catania and Udinese have taken on must-win status.

"We cannot fail," said Malesani. "I ask the fans to remain close to the team in order to come out of the tunnel."

Catania boss Gianluca Atzori has urged his players to forget about Wednesday's 2-0 triumph over Empoli and focus on clinching a win at the Artemio Franchi stadium on Sunday.

The Sicilian outfit ousted Empoli from the Coppa Italia and advanced to the next round thanks to goals from Federico Moretti and Takayuki Morimoto.

"This match served as a training session," said Atzori. "We are happy to go through to the next round of the Coppa Italia but we must now turn our attention to the domestic competition.

"On Sunday we face a difficult match. We have to impose our style of play, without being scared of a team that are capable of beating us."

Catania are without a win in their last six games, but made life difficult for AC Milan before losing 2-0 at the weekend.

They have yet to claim a victory on the road this season and are second from bottom, three points clear of Siena.

The hosts will be without defender Daniele Ficagna and midfielder Aleandro Rosi with both players serving a one-match ban.

Defender Luca Rossettini and midfielder Francesco Parravicini are still sidelined through injury.