Cittadella battle for goalless draw with Cremonese

Cittadella picks up a valuable point in the Serie B relegation battle after seeing out a goalless draw with Cremonese on Sunday.

The result leaves the Granata bottom of the league for the third straight weekend, though Alessandro Dal Canto’s men sit just four points below safety after 17 matches.

“We will restart with confidence from this result,” Dal Canto said after the match. “We got a point that stops the bleeding and stops the need for points. It will give us energy to work with this week and try to replicate the performance against Reggiana.”

The Cittadella boss made three changes to his starting lineup from last weekend’s thrashing against Spezia, which included team captain Simone Branca starting from the bench. New signing Elio Capradossi made his first start for the club, while Alessio Vita played in his first match since Nov. 3. Capradossi’s match was cut short after picking up a knock in the first half, needing to be substituted in the 36th minute.

“[Capradossi] might be out for a while,” Dal Canto said. “I told Branca before the match that the midfielders that aren’t playing is not because of behavior issues. Sometimes I make decisions that will help the team or is based on a player’s condition.”

Both sides lacked the final product in the attacking phase. Cittadella recorded zero attempts on target throughout the match, while Cremonese had four which were all saved by goalkeeper Elhan Kastrati.

The Grigiorossi‘s best chances of the game came through Manuel De Luca, who first had a free header denied by Kastrati’s kick save. In the 82nd minute, the striker once again found space in the box and fired an effort on goal, which was parried by the Albanian goalkeeper.

Sunday’s draw is Cittadella’s fourth goalless tie this season, with all four coming at the Stadio Piercesare Tombolato. The club is now winless in 16 straight home games.

“I want to recover some players first, especially in defense,” Dal Canto said on the upcoming January transfer market. “We have to grit our teeth. With the transfer market, the club has always been used to doing the right things at the right time.”

Two games remain before the halfway point in the season for Cittadella. The Granata will travel to Bolzano for Boxing Day to face Sudtirol, but they will first host Reggiana on Dec. 21. The two teams sit within reaching distance of Cittadella, and could potentially be relegation six pointers.

“I don’t think it’ll be a match that will be pushed more,” Dal Canto said on next weekend. “I wouldn’t talk much about their standings and it being a relegation battle.”

“We will prepare for it knowing the importance, like what we will have to face against Sudtirol and Palermo.”

PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella