Cittadella hanging on in the promotion playoff race

It’s not over yet! Five games remain in this bumpy 2021/22 Serie B season for the Granata, and here we can map out how this team can sneak in despite all the recent struggles.

It’s not the position we were hoping for at the beginning on August, but we got to do what we have left. Cittadella are still alive in the playoff race, are still in need of wins, as well as some help along the way.

Though the 0-0 draw against Perugia on Wednesday night wasn’t the ideal result for Edoardo Gorini and his team, the draw does see Cittadella with a shout for jumping into the top 8 of Serie B. Thanks to nearby rivals Ascoli and Frosinone losing their games during the week, Cittadella come within six points of the last playoff ticket entering the final five games. Here is the league table after Matchday 33:

If Cittadella want any chance of making a surprise end to the season, they would have to stop losing games, of course. Those dropped points from favorable positions earlier in the season–against Monza, Como, Ternana, and Vicenza–look to be very costly at this stage. If the Granata had not concede late goals in those matches, they could very well have been inside the top 8 of Serie B.

Unfortunately that’s not our reality. We can, however, win four out of our last five, plus a draw in there to keep adding to our points tally. It only takes one moment or result to kickstart your season, and Cittadella are oh so close to doing that.

Let’s assume that we are not going to catch teams above 6th place, that being Benevento and so on. Ascoli are crushing it recently, but Frosinone have fumbled some recent results. These include losses to Crotone and Pordenone, both of whom are at the foot of Serie B. They have shown weaknesses, so if there’s one team Cittadella could potentially leapfrog, it’s looking like I Canarini.

Just ahead of Cittadella lies Perugia, who are also trying to tackle down the playoff occupants. Parma has risen thanks to a nine game unbeaten streak, which puts them right back into the playoff conversation.

So what does Cittadella’s run-in look like? Here’s the list for all the teams in contention.

*7th (52pts) Ascoli: vs REG, at PAR, vs CIT, at CRE, vs TER

*8th (51pts) Frosinone: vs CRE, at TER, vs MON, at SPAL, vs PIS

9th (48pts) Perugia: vs PIS, at VIC, vs PAR, at TER, vs MON

10th (45pts) Parma: at BRE, vs ASC, at PER, vs ALE, at CRO

11th (45pts) Cittadella: at COM, vs ALE, at ASC, vs BRE, at COS

Like said earlier, Cittadella need to aim for at least four wins and a draw to have a reasonable chance of finishing in the top 8. Despite playing Alessandria and Cosenza who are fighting for relegation, it may be a harder game than on paper. Typically, it’s harder to play against the relegation bound sides at the tail end of the season, as these teams will fight to the very end, desperate for points.

Out of the five teams in contention, Frosinone arguably has the hardest road, playing three teams at home all fighting for an automatic promotion spot. Parma also has tricky games against promotion and relegation fighters, but so does Cittadella.

At this point, anybody can slide in and take 7th or 8th under the noses of Ascoli and Frosinone. From here until the end of the season, every match is a must watch, even if Cittadella are not playing. If Gorini can pull a string of positive results together, along with some help from other teams, it’s possible we can see Cittadella in the promotion playoffs for the sixth straight year, despite the struggles this season.