As the international break approaches, Cittadella looks to make it 3/3 at home

The second league match of the 2021/22 season is already upon us. Cittadella, after coming off a hard-earned victory over Vicenza, welcome Crotone in the last match before two weeks of no games.

A win will certainly make a statement for the Granata as they would have gone three straight games with the best result possible. Crotone is looking for their first league win, and they still pose a threat despite losing their main striker, Simy.

Serie B is a hard league to get promoted. We’ve seen it time and time again with our promotion fights. Every game is a grind, but one thing remains important: winning your home games.

This could be the key for Cittadella’s success. If you think about it, winning your home games gives you a three point boost, which can often times push you up places when the table gets tight. With 19 home games in the season, winning 15 of those can get you to 45 points. And that’s just your home games.

In contrast to that, on the road is also a hard task for any Serie B team. If you can at least get a point out of each road game, it could get you to the 60 point mark, which is usually around the automatic promotion area.

It’s not expected that Cittadella win every home match and draw every away match. It’ll probably not happen, but this is the idea that can lead us to Serie A. Winning at home definitely gives the team precious points that are vital come May.

In saying all of this, tomorrow is another opportunity to start this path. Three points is what the Granata could use to cap off a great August. The tough start continues as well as Crotone is no easy task to beat. Most likely, it will be a bigger test than last week against Vicenza as the sharks have proven that they can be lethal on the attack.

Luigi Cuppone and Giacomo Beretta are once again out for Sunday afternoon’s match as they are still recovering from injuries. My projected lineup would be like this:

4-3-1-2

Kastrati; Donnarumma-Frare-Adorni-Cassandro; Branca-Danzi-Vita; Baldini; Okwonkwo-Tounkara

Changes are expected and this lineup will probably not be 100% correct. Benedetti has been playing well on the left, so it wouldn’t be wise to bench him. Gargiulo can also slide in for Vita or Branca. Antonucci can also play in the attack or coming off the bench.

Gorini has options to throw out on the field, and it’ll be interesting to see who he puts out. In front of a half capacity Tombolato, Cittadella aim for a perfect home record in August before international football. I am feeling like a 1-1 draw, with Alessio Vita scoring the goal.