Sassuolo vs Cittadella: Granata look to start season with Coppa Italia win
On August 8, 2024 by Jake IovineMATCH: Sassuolo – Cittadella | Coppa Italia Round of 64
DATE: August 9, 2024 | 6pm local (12pm EST)
VENUE: Mapei Stadium | Reggio Emilia
Cittadella begin their 2024/25 season in Reggio Emilia as the Granata face Sassuolo in the first round of the Coppa Italia.
Edoardo Gorini’s side is looking for a positive start after finishing 14th in Serie B last season. Friday will be the first meeting between the two clubs in a decade, where Sassuolo came away victorious 4-1. The Neroverdi have lost only once against Cittadella in their last 11 meetings.
A new era has begun for Sassuolo since being relegated from Serie A after being in the division for eleven straight seasons. Fabio Grosso will be taking charge of his first official game with the club since signing in the summer.
Cittadella ended last season with big disappointment after spending majority of the campaign in the playoff zone. The Granata suffered a six game winless run to end the season, and only managed to win two out of their last 19 matches, plummeting them down to 14th in the league.
Gorini has won his opening three Coppa Italia matches in each of his first three seasons, defeating Monza, Lecce and Empoli. Cittadella exited the competition in the Round of 32 last season following a last-minute defeat to Cremonese. The Granata have not reached the Round of 16 since the 2017/18 season, while Sassuolo reached the quarterfinals in 2022.
Cittadella will be without a handful of players on Friday afternoon. Defender Domenico Frare and midfielder Simone Tronchin will miss the match due to suspension. Gorini confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Giuseppe Carriero and Luca Pandolfi will also miss the match at the Mapei Stadium.
The winner of this matchup will face Lecce or Mantova in the Round of 32, where the winner will face AC Milan at San Siro in the following round.
PHOTO: Massimo Felicetti