Cittadella vs Frosinone | All you need to know.
On February 26, 2022 by Jake IovineA massive team win in Lecce on Wednesday puts Cittadella in a much better position than last week. The momentum must continue into Sunday afternoon as a tricky Frosinone team visits.
What better way to spend your Sunday afternoon at the Tombolato (for us in the United States, a Sunday morning)? Cittadella’s busy February ends on the 27th as Frosinone look to get their first win over the Granata since that dramatic playoff game in August 2020.
It was looking really bad for Cittadella just one week ago as they lost to Benevento at home. But an impressive 2-1 win against league leaders Lecce midweek has changed the mood within the club. A win against Frosinone would almost certainly put Cittadella back into playoff position.
But Frosinone also have the same mindset. A 3-0 thrashing against Reggina put an end to their poor run of form as they aim for Serie A for just the third time in their history.
Let’s take a look at both sides.
Cittadella
We are still buzzing about the Lecce win on the weekend. Against a team who hasn’t lost at home this season, Cittadella surprised everyone with a statement win on the road.
It’s a much needed three points for Edoardo Gorini’s men in this moment. Cittadella only tasted victory once in their last six league games, and needed a big result to keep their promotion hunt alive.
As much as the victory feels great, the work has just begun for the Granata. To have a real shot of securing a playoff ticket, consistency with results must improve. Winning at home is also a key factor, and fans will be hoping to finally see a home victory since December 11th.
Gorini will have some key players back for Sunday’s match. Simone Branca, who’s been out with an injury since February 5th, is finally back within the squad and listed as available. Defenders Amedeo Benedetti and Domenico Frare will also be making their return after missing the trip to Lecce.
Branca’s return will be crucial for Cittadella. Since absent, the midfield has looked outplayed most of the times, while also lacking a stability going forward and defending. Branca is great at holding down the center, alongside Alessio Vita and Nicola Pavan. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not Gorini starts Branca in his first game back, or will bring him off the bench.
The absentees for the match include the likes of Okwonkwo, Danzi, and Ciriello. A news report from the National Anti-Doping Tribunal has stated that Okwonkwo has violated Articles 2.1 and 2.2 of the anti-doping regulation. He has been suspended as a precaution, as we wait for further information of the case.
Frosinone
It’s a much improved season for Frosinone as they currently sit 7th in Serie B, only three points ahead of Cittadella. Key players such as Gabriel Charpentier, Alessio Zerbin, and Matteo Ricci lead the way as I Canarini push for playoffs.
They’ll also be looking to brush off a 1-0 home loss to the Granata back in October, and look to win by a few goals also to win the head-to-head tiebreaker on Cittadella. A 3-0 trashing against Reggina during the week sets good vibes for Fabio Grosso’s side entering the Tombolato.
Throughout the season, Frosinone has had some impressive performances against the big boys of Serie B. These include taking points away from Brescia, Pisa, Benevento, and Cremonese.
Despite struggles last year under Alessandro Nesta, Frosinone looked much more improved from defense to attack. Fellow American Andrija Novakovich hasn’t had the season he had hoped for so far, only netting two goals in 18 appearances. However, he still poses a threat for Frosinone going forward, which will cause concern for Cittadella’s back line.