Just four days after their clash in the league, the two Serie B teams will meet again in the round of 16 of the Coppa Italia as Cremonese host Cittadella at the Stadio Giovanni Zini on Tuesday afternoon.
Friday's league match was a good preparation, as Cremonese secured all three points with a stoppage-time goal from Franco Vazquez, defeating Cittadella 2-1.
Match preview
Cremonese have made a relatively good start to Serie B and are currently seventh in the table with 16 points - four wins and four draws in 11 games.
In recent months, Cremonese's performance levels have been very variable, with three wins and two draws, but they have lacked consistency, as they have yet to win back-to-back games this Serie B season, when a win is followed by a loss and vice versa.
In the cup, Cremonese entered the round of 32 after defeating Crotone in the previous round. It was a hard-earned win, as both teams were tied after 90 minutes and had to go to extra time, where the hosts prevailed by two goals, eventually winning 3-1.
Giovanni Stroppa's side undoubtedly have fond memories of last season's Coppa Italia, in which they reached the semi-finals before losing 2-0 to Fiorentina, with victories against Serie A giants in AS Roma and Napoli in the previous rounds to be remembered for many decades to come.
Overall, Cremonese have won the last three head-to-head encounters against Cittadella and should be quite confident going into Tuesday's match with Friday's league win in mind.
Cittadella, on the other hand, are currently worse off than Cremonese in Serie B, occupying 12th place with 13 points from three wins and four draws in 11 games.
They are currently winless for three games, losing most recently to Cremonese and Pisa. The last victory was almost a month ago, when they beat Lecco 2-1 at home.
Edoardo Gorini's side also had to start their Coppa Italia journey in the round of 64, where they faced Serie A side Empoli and, to the surprise of most Italian football fans, prevailed 2-1 despite missing a penalty in injury time.
This was the same stage that Cittadella crashed out of the cup competition last season, when Serie A side Torino put them to the sword in a 4-0 victory.
Cittadella have lost their last three meetings against Cremonese and are clear underdogs in this match. This means they will have to play above their capabilities if they want to improve their Coppa Italia record from last season.
Team News
Cremonese will go into Tuesday's round of 32 match with a fully fit squad and it is very likely that manager Stroppa will field a more or less unchanged starting XI.
However, Vazquez has a chance to play from the start on Tuesday, having scored the winning goal in stoppage time in Friday night's league match against Cittadella.
Otherwise, the Cremonese are expected to start with a 3-5-2 formation, with either Vazquez or David Okereke partnering Massimo Coda in a two-man striker partnership.
The visitors have a major injury problem ahead of this match, with right-back Alessandro Salvi picking up an injury in the first half against Cremonese on Friday and being replaced by Federico Giraudo, who should be in the starting XI on Tuesday if Salvi is not fit to play.
There should not be too many changes in the starting XI either - Alessio Vita, who scored the only goal for Cittadella on Friday, captain Simone Branca and Francesco Amatucci form the base in midfield, while the strikers Andrea Magrassi and Filippo Pittarello will be striving to end their goal drought.
Cremonese possible starting lineup:
Sarr; Antov, Ravanelli, Bianchetti, Ghiglione, Zanimacchia; Pickel, Castagnetti, Buonaiuto; Coda, Okereke
Cittadella possible starting lineup:
Kastrati; Giraudo, Pavan, Angeli, Carissoni; Vita, Branca, Amatucci, Cassano; Magrassi, Pittarello
We say: Cremonese 1-0 Cittadella
It is quite rare for the same teams to play each other twice in a row in different competitions, but at the same time, the game dynamics in cup competitions are usually different than in league matches, which can add an element of unpredictability.
Cremonese go into this match in the better form overall and should take advantage of Cittadella's lack of confidence, but the margins should not be too big and a single goal can be the decider.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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