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Cittadella and Monza will trade tackles at the Stadio P.C. Tombolato on Monday in the first leg of their Serie B Playoffs semifinal.
The hosts dispatched Brescia with a 1-0 victory in the last round to get to this stage. Federico Proia scored the all-important goal in the 39th minute to help the Veneto outfit progress.
Monza - owned by former AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi - received a bye to this stage by virtue of their third-place finish in the regular season.
The Lombardy side defied all expectations to achieve this feat, having only been promoted to Serie B from Serie C last term after a 19-year absence. They will be looking to go one further by qualifying for the top-flight for the first time in their 108-year history.
A place in the final against either Lecce or Venezia and potential Serie A qualification awaits the winner of this tie. They will each be seeking a victory to place them in good standing ahead of the return fixture on Thursday.
Cittadella vs Monza Head-to-Head
Monza have registered seven victories in their last 11 fixtures against Cittadella. The two sides shared the spoils on two occasions, while Cittadella have two wins to their name.
Their most recent meeting came in February 2021 on matchday 25 of the just-concluded Serie B campaign when they could not be separated in a goalless draw.
Monza lost the last game of the regular season to Brescia, which halted their four-game winning run. Cittadella are also in fine form, with four wins registered in their last six games.
Cittadella form guide: W-D-L-W-W
Monza form guide: L-W-W-W-W
Cittadella vs Monza Team News
Cittadella
The hosts have defender Amedeo Benedetti ruled out with a heel injury. Camillo Tavernelli is a doubt with a muscle problem but there are no suspension concerns for manager Roberto Venturato.
Injury: Amedeo Benedetti
Doubtful: Camillo Tavernelli
Suspension: None
Monza
Gabriel Paletta and Eugenio Lamanna have been sidelined by injuries for the Biancorossi. Defender Giuseppe Bellusci was suspensed due to the second-half red card he received against Brescia on the final day of the regular campaign.
Injuries: Gabriel Paletta, Eugenio Lamanna
Suspension: Giuseppe Bellusci
Cittadella vs Monza Predicted XI
Cittadella Predicted XI (4-3-3): Elhan Kastrati (GK); Daniele Donnarumma, Davide Adorni, Domenico Frare, Luca Ghiringhelli; Simone Branca, Manuel Iori, Federico Proia; Alessio Vita, Giacomo Beretta, Frank Tsadjout
Monza Predicted XI (3-5-2): Michele Di Gregorio (GK); Lorenzo Pirola, Filippo Scaglia, Davide Bettella; Carlos Augusto, Andrea Colpani, Andreas Barberis, Davide Fratesi, Mario Samirisi; Dany Mota, Christian Gytkjaer
Cittadella vs Monza Prediction
The two sides have natural attacking tendencies but the high stakes involved could see them prioritize safety.
Cittadella's strong home form was what propelled them into the upper echelons of the table but Monza are also good on the road. Ultimately, we expect the two sides to cancel each other out, leaving it all to play for in the second leg.
Prediction: Cittadella 1-1 Monza
Also Read: Hellas Verona vs Bologna prediction, preview, team news and more | Serie A 2020-21
