Cremonese will host Cittadella in the Coppa Italia just four days after facing off in the league. The league game on Friday served as an excellent warm-up, as Cremonese defeated Cittadella 2-1. They took all three points thanks to a stoppage-time goal from Franco Vazquez.
Preview (Cremonese vs. Cittadella)
With four victories and four draws in their first 11 games in Serie B, Cremonese has had a rather strong start to the season and is presently sixth in the standings with 16 points. With three victories and two ties in recent months, Cremonese’s play has been highly inconsistent. After overcoming Crotone in the first round of the cup, Cremonese advanced to the round of 32. In the end, the hosts won 3-1 thanks to two goals in overtime.
Giovanni Stroppa’s team will surely cherish their run in the Coppa Italia last season. They advanced to the semi-finals before falling to Fiorentina 2-0. The team will also recall their memorable wins against AS Roma and Napoli, two of the biggest teams in Serie A, in the earlier stages of the competition. Having defeated Cittadella in their previous three meetings, Cremonese should be feeling very confident heading into Tuesday’s game, especially after Friday’s league victory. In contrast, Cittadella is now in a worse position in Serie B than Cremonese. They are sitting in 12th place with 13 points from three victories and four draws in 11 games.
Cremonese have now lost their last two games against Cremonese and Pisa, becoming winless in their last three games. They defeated Lecco 2-1 at home about a month ago in their most recent triumph. To the amazement of the majority of Italian football fans, Edoardo Gorini’s team overcame Serie A team Empoli 2-1 in the round of 64 of the Coppa Italia, despite missing a penalty in injury time. At the same stage, Cittadella was eliminated from the cup competition the previous season after Torino, a Serie A team, defeated them 4-0. Cittadella is the obvious underdog in this game because they have lost their last three encounters with Cremonese.
Team News
With a totally healthy roster, Cremonese will be ready for Tuesday’s round of 32 matches. Manager Stroppa is expected to start with a nearly unchanged lineup. Vazquez, however, has the opportunity to start Tuesday’s game right away because he scored the game-winning goal in stoppage time of Friday night’s league game against Cittadella. If not, Vazquez or David Okereke are anticipated to start for the Cremonese in a 3-5-2. They will form a two-man striker tandem with Massimo Coda.
Before this game, the visitors had a serious injury concern. Right-back Alessandro Salvi hurt himself against Cremonese on Friday in the first half. Federico Giraudo, who should start for the visitors on Tuesday in Salvi’s absence, took his place. Alessio Vita, who netted Cittadella’s lone goal on Friday, captain Simone Branca, and Francesco Amatucci form the base in midfield, while the strikers Andrea Magrassi and Filippo Pittarello will be looking to snap their goal drought.
The same clubs rarely play each other twice in a row in separate competitions. On the other hand, cup games typically have different game dynamics than league games. It may introduce some uncertainty. Overall, Cremonese are in superior form going into this game and could capitalize on Cittadella’s insecurity. The margins shouldn’t be too wide since one goal might be the difference.
Cremonese 1 – 0 Cittadella
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