Cremonese vs Cittadella: Granata begin final survival push in Cremona

Six weeks from today, Cittadella will know its fate for next season: stay in Serie B, drop to Serie C, or play a two-legged playoff to determine who gets relegated to the third tier.

A lot is riding on the line as Citta sits one point outside the relegation play-out zone and three points above the automatic drop. Eleven teams are separated by 10 points between 20th-placed Cosenza and 10th-placed Modena with eight games remaining in the regular season.

The first of the final eight begins for Cittadella on Saturday afternoon as the Granata travel west to face fourth-placed Cremonese at the Stadio Giovanni Zini.

The Granata struggled going into the international break, losing four of its last five games. One of those defeats came at home against relegation rivals Sudtirol, where a second half collapse saw Cittadella lose 1-5. The team suffered another home defeat the following weekend against Sassuolo, which broke a club record for most consecutive home losses in Serie B action.

“We got a little nervous after the 1-5 defeat against Sudtriol,” Dal Canto said in his prematch press conference on Friday. “We did everything we could’ve against Sassuolo but it wasn’t enough because we made some errors. If we make a mistake, it favors the strong teams. The same thing applies for Cremonese.

“We have to make a super match, cautious with mistakes where we cannot mess up again. If not, it becomes more difficult than it actually is.”

Dal Canto knows faith is in Cittadella’s hands going into the final run-in. Out of the team’s eight remaining opponents, only two of them are currently in the top half of the standings.

“We cannot not be worried,” Dal Canto said. “We have six relegation six-pointers and have to make one at a time. We can lose a game and the standings will look bad, but in reality the results that we want is in our hands.”

After Spezia’s defeat on Friday night, Cremonese can go within four points of the Ligurians with a victory. The Grigiorossi won two straight games before entering the international break, recovering from a rough patch between January and February which saw Giovanni Stroppa’s men win once in six games. Cremonese have also enjoyed recent success against Cittadella, winning five of the last seven meetings against the Venetian side since 2021.

But the Granata have already captured impressive road victories this season. Dal Canto’s side managed to record wins in Pisa, Palermo, Castellammare di Stabia (Juve Stabia) and Bolzano (Sudtirol) since becoming head coach of the club. Cittadella holds the fifth best away record (7-1-7) in Serie B, but also holds the worst home record (2-5-8): a telling story of the Granata‘s season.

“We have shown too many ups and downs throughout the season,” Dal Canto said. “Many times we don’t show worrying signs before a big collapse. We have to be a team and be together, and in some moments we haven’t shown that.”

It’s certainly feels like eight finals for Cittadella in the next six weeks. The Granata are aiming to avoid relegation to Serie C for a ninth straight season, and three points in Cremona could go a long way in the race for survival.

For Dal Canto, the ‘salvezza’ comes down a few simple things.

“Don’t mess up,” he said on how to avoid relegation. “It seems silly but few teams do it, otherwise there wouldn’t be a tight table. You have to maintain the nerves in difficult moments, it can give you an advantage.”

MATCH: Cremonese vs Cittadella – Serie BKT Matchday 31

DATE: March 29, 2025 – 17:15 CET (12:15 EST)

VENUE: Stadio Giovanni Zini – Cremona

TOP PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti – A.S. Cittadella