Benevento vs Cittadella Predictions

Benevento’s push for a return to the top flight of Italian football received a boost in midweek, as they won 2-1 at Cittadella. They now have the upper hand ahead of the second leg of this playoff semi-final. The hosts will be aiming to wrap up the tie with a result at home, as they look to bounce back to the top flight. For the visitors, it’s hard to see them kicking on in this clash to turn things around, especially given that they come into this game with an incredibly poor away record in the regular season.

Benevento’s moment of fame came thanks to their winless run in Serie A last season, which saw them beaten in their first 14 Serie A games last term. However, their last-minute equaliser to draw 2-2 with Milan and claim their first-ever top-flight point was a huge moment in the season. Now the Witches are aiming to build on that campaign by returning to the top flight even stronger. Will they be able to bounce back at the first attempt with playoff success?

Cittadella seem to have missed their big chance to get a foothold in this tie. They were leading from the 10th minute but went down to 10 men early in the second half. The 10 men were able to hold on for 25 minutes, but then a quick-fire double from Benevento saw them claim a win. Now Cittadella have to pull off an away win of their own – something which seems unlikely given their four-game losing streak in meetings with Benevento.

The visitors have struggled on the road this term, with their results at home sending them into the playoffs. Just 37% of Cittadella’s points this season came on the road, while they scored only 22% of their total goals in away matches. That doesn’t make them prime candidates to turn the scoreline around in this trip. We also have to look at their record away to the sides around them this term – Cittadella won just two of their trips to top half sides.

Meanwhile, Benevento claimed 10 wins in their 18 home clashes this season. Those victories all came in their 15 matches with the sides below them. The hosts have managed to score 15 goals in their last six home games, while they’ve got an impressive head to head record against the visitors. they’ve won four of the last five clashes between these two at this ground, so we’re backing a home win as our tip here.