Ascoli vs Cittadella | All you need to know.
On April 24, 2022 by Jake IovineToday could be the day Cittadella dump out of playoff contention as they travel to face Ascoli. Only three games remain in the Serie B season for any sort of late comeback.
The season is quickly winding down and Cittadella are on the brink of elimination from a promotion playoff berth. The Granata are well and truly on their last legs as they face a high flying Ascoli side.
It hurts to know Edoardo Gorini’s side could’ve been much closer to their Matchday 36 rivals. At the start of the new year, it was looking like this match would be the decider on whom makes the playoffs. Instead, it looks almost certain Ascoli will join the six teams fighting for the last promotion ticket, while Cittadella will have to wait another year for a shot at Serie A.
Despite being long ways from playoff at this moment, Cittadella will be determined to finish the season strong and take something away from Monday afternoon’s match in front of an expected 5000+ fans.
Here’s a preview of each team going into the match.
Cittadella
The last few weeks have been underwhelming for any Cittadella supporter. Playoffs have been sailing further and further away as results slipped. With three games left, it’s unlikely the Granata will feature in the promotion playoffs for a sixth straight year.
Cittadella sit in 10th, seven points behind 8th place Frosinone. A loss in Ascoli Piceno would mathematically eliminate Gorini and co entirely from playoff contention. A draw or win for Cittadella and eyes will have to move towards Frosinone’s match against promotion contenders Monza. If Frosinone can get a win at home, Cittadella’s promotion dream would be delayed by another year.
As much as the final stretch of games have been disappointing, the Granata look to finish out the campaign on a high note going into the summer. Under first year head coach Edoardo Gorini, Cittadella can also experiment a few players that don’t get much playing time, as well as looking towards the future.
Left back Amedeo Benedetti won’t feature with Gorini’s squad, as an injury has him sidelined for now. As usual, forwards Orji Okwonkwo and Mamadou Tounkara are out for the match, with the pair of them looking set to miss the end of the season.
We all wanted to go to another playoff series this year, but unless something out of this world happens in the next two weeks, Cittadella will be in the second division once again next season.
Ascoli
It’s been a fun and exciting season for Ascoli as they look to write their names in this years edition of the promotion playoffs. Andrea Sottil’s side have done incredible work this season, and are four points away from officially cementing their place in the top 8.
They might not even need to get four points. A win on Monday afternoon, followed by a Perugia draw/loss later in the night would be enough for I Picchi.
Ascoli is a team Cittadella have been trying to track down for lots of the second half of the season. But week after week, Ascoli have kept their distance, and are on their way of getting into a playoff game. A lot of it is thanks to a great recent stretch of form, which consist of five wins out of seven.
Forward Federico Dionisi has also been the heartbeat of Ascoli’s offense, scoring 9 goals and assisting 3. Holding midfielder Marcel Buchel has also been a key starter for Ascoli, but will be unavailable for the match due to yellow card suspension.
It’s not a surprise Ascoli have picked up 17 wins this season: they are organized and have a strong attack. Cittadella got the best of them last December, thanks to a penalty brace from Enrico Baldini. This time though, expect it to be much different, as the playoff scenarios are very real.