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Monza will host Cittadella on Thursday in the second leg of their Serie B playoffs semifinal.
The visitors have an overwhelming advantage in the tie, having secured a convincing 3-0 victory in the first leg. Enrico Baldini was the star of the show, with a hat-trick giving his side a healthy aggregate lead.
Monza will have their work cut out if they are to successfully overturn this tie. They will have to significantly improve their performance from the first leg to stand any chance.
A potential place in Serie A awaits the winner of this tie, but first they will have to go through either Lecce or Venezia in the final.
Monza vs Cittadella Head-to-Head
Monza have registered seven victories in their last 12 fixtures against Cittadella. The two sides shared the spoils on two occasions, while Cittadella have three wins to their name.
Monday's first leg clash was their most recent fixture, with the Veneto outfit securing a 3-0 victory.
That win made it consecutive victories for Cittadella and they have now won five of their last seven games. Monza's defeat made it consecutive losses, having ended the regular season with four wins from their last five games.
Monza form guide: L-L-W-W-W
Cittadella form guide: W-W-D-L-W
Monza vs Cittadella Team News
Monza
Mirko Maric, Kevin Prince-Boateng and Eugenio Lamanna have been sidelined by injuries for the Biancorossi. Defender Giuseppe Bellusci is suspended due to the second-half red card he received against Brescia on the final day of the regular campaign.
Injuries: Gabriel Paletta, Eugenio Lamanna, Kevin Prince-Boateng
Suspension: Giuseppe Bellusci
Cittadella
The visitors 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 vs Cittadella Predicted XI
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 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 vs Cittadella Prediction
The visitors do not have a desperate need for goals and are likely to sit back and protect their three-goal advantage.
Monza are in need of a comprehensive victory but we are predicting a narrow home win, with Cittadella to progress on aggregate.
Prediction: Monza 1-0 Cittadella
