Sudtirol is one of five finals for Cittadella, Gorini believes.

Cittadella head coach Edoardo Gorini spoke to the press before Saturday’s match against Sudtirol at the Stadio Druso.

The Granata are coming off a 0-0 draw with Ascoli last weekend, putting them one point below the playoff line with five games remaining. Sudtirol defeated Sampdoria to put I Tirolesi in the playoff fight. Saturday will be a determining game for both sides as both Cittadella and Sudtirol fight for a top 8 finish in Serie B.

Here were some key notes from Gorini on the eve of the match against Sudtirol.

Squad updates:

“Baldini obviously won’t play as he had his meniscus surgery this week. Frare won’t be available as he had a left knee sprain in the last match. Fortunately it’s not as bad as originally thought, but he still won’t be available for tomorrow. Danzi and Negro will also be out with injuries, but Angeli and Pittarello are recovered.”

On the final five games:

“These are like five finals. Sudtirol are below us by one point and will try to do everything to get above us, while we are trying to stay above them. Tomorrow is like a final, but so will the other games. We need to concentrate and try to bring home the points.

“If we win tomorrow, the ‘salvezza’ will be closed. With four games remaining, it would be very nice to be safe, I would’ve taken it at the start of the season.”

On the opponents, Sudtirol:

“They’ve completely changed in respect to the last match against us. They’ve changed the way they play. Now they possess the ball more and are a solid team. They are a team that plays football and have quality players that are coming from a good moment. But the games start at 0-0 and we need to keep our same attitude and principles.”