Cittadella vs Brescia: A pivotal game in the relegation race

Cittadella can leap outside the relegation zone with a victory on Thursday as Alessandro Dal Canto’s men host 16th-placed Brescia at the Stadio Piercesare Tombolato.

Both sides enter the midweek game level on 35 points with four matches remaining in the Serie B regular season. Thursday will also be a battle of the two most out-of-form sides in the division, with Cittadella and Brescia having collected a combined 15 points in each of their last 10 games.

The Granata are without a win in two months, losing four of their last six games as they sit in the automatic relegation zone for the first time in 18 weeks. Having won in the reverse fixture against Brescia at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti, Citta will be hoping to complete the double over the Leonessa and secure a huge victory in the relegation race.

Three points would indeed put Cittadella three points ahead of Brescia while claiming the head-to-head tiebreaker. With four games left, six points separate 19th-placed Cittadella and 11th-placed Carrarese.

“We have to go on the field and try to bring home everything at all costs,” Dal Canto said in his prematch press conference. “The team trained well, it’s normal to not be at a high morale because we are coming from a negative trend. We have to try to reverse it without feeling bad for ourselves.”

Brescia, meanwhile, is hanging on in the relegation scrap. Rolando Maran’s side recorded two wins in its last 22 league games, having last won a home game in late September. The club sacked the former Cittadella boss in December, but quickly rejoined the Leonessa less than two months after his dismissal.

Since then, Maran’s men recorded wins against Spezia and Carrarese, but find themselves tied on points with Cittadella going into Thursday’s clash.

“Brescia has its problems, and we have our own,” Dal Canto said. “We know (Brescia) is a team that shouldn’t be having the season they are having, but this applies to everyone, including us. In football, you need to play, watch and do. Talking is unnecessary now.”

The Tombolato proves to be a difficult place to play for Cittadella. The Granata hold the worst home record in Serie B, collecting just 12 points from 16 games in Veneto this season. Dal Canto’s men have still yet to taste victory at home in 2025, recording just one point at the Tombolato in the new year.

Despite the struggles, Dal Canto wants to gift Cittadella fans an important win at home and keep the club alive in the relegation race.

“The fans have always been close to the team, even more so tomorrow,” he said. “We’ve given little satisfaction to them this season. There’s a desire to hit a target together.

“When someone is going through difficulty, the more together we are, the better.”

MATCH: Cittadella vs Brescia – Serie BKT Matchday 36

DATE: May 1, 2025 – 17:15 CET (11:15 EST)

VENUE: Stadio Piercesare Tombolato – Cittadella

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TOP PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti / A.S. Cittadella