The victory obtained by Udinese in the late afternoon yesterday on the pitch of a Lecce team that was mathematically safe after Cagliari’s defeat against Milan on Saturday (and here a long discussion should be made on the scandal that in the last few days matches are not played in contemporary) allowed the Friulian team to leapfrog Frosinone by one point in the standings, which now occupies the third to last place together with Empoli.
In other words, if the championship had ended at this moment, to remain in Serie A the Canaries would have had to play the playoff on a neutral pitch against the Tuscans. But there are still two days to go and despite the current third-to-last place, the Ciociari remain masters of their destiny. In fact, by winning the next two matches they would secure salvation.
Head to Monza
And then immediately head to the next match which on Sunday at 3pm will see the Di Francesco “gang” take to the field in Monza. A challenge that the canaries began preparing for yesterday afternoon. Frosinone has played two matches in the past at the “Brianteo”, both in the junior series, and has always been defeated. The first time in the 2021/2022 season with the result of 2 to 0, the second in the following championship when Monza, down 2 to 0 until the 25th minute of the second half, managed to comeback to win the match with the result of 3 at 2 thanks to the penalty converted in full injury time by Luca Mazzitelli, then on the opposing team.
Defeat that still stings, even if the regret was partly absorbed by the clearer victory achieved by the yellow and blues in the return match which also ended with a comeback but with the result 4 to 1. Next Sunday we will play again, as mentioned, on the Brianza pitch against Frosinone who will have to reverse the trend of the past at all costs. It won’t be an easy task, considering the excellent season so far carried out by Palladino’s team. But we will have to try and, above all, succeed.
Captain Mazzitelli out
After the injury suffered to the fourth finger of Turati’s left hand in the Empoli match, the midfielder will also be forced to miss the away match due to the muscle problem that forced him to leave the field in the 37th minute of the first half of the match against ‘Inter. Furthermore, the condition of Simone Romagnoli, who was forced to rest for the last match, will also need to be assessed. The recovery of the central defender, who together with Okoli and Lirola contributed to making the defensive line more solid, is very important above all because it will allow Okoli to return to being the valid left-wing arm of the department which, against the Nerazzurri, did not work as in previous races. In short, if Mazzitelli’s absence can be balanced by Barrenechea’s return from suspension, a further absence of Romagnoli could be felt against Monza.
The recovery
In the first weekly session preparing for the match on the pitch of the “Città dello Sport” the defender carried out personalized training but we are only at the beginning of the week and there is, in short, time to improve his condition. For the rest, the team was engaged in technical-tactical exercises, concluded with themed matches. Lusuardi also carried out personalized work while Mazzitelli underwent the appropriate therapies. A new session is scheduled for this morning.
