Collecchio, 9 February 2024 - The statements from coach Fabio Pecchia, during the press conference before the match against Cittadella, given in the press room at the Mutti Training Center in Collecchio.

ENTHUSIASM MUST BE NOURISHED AROUND THE TEAM

'Enthusiasm? I don't want to curb it. The team needs enthusiasm; the DNA of this group is clear: enthusiasm, lightness, desire to play football, eagerness to have fun, and face matches with the mental lightness that allows us to do beautiful things. To this, we add the awareness of knowing how to win matches, and we must add it more and more from game to game. We hold on tightly to the enthusiasm and it needs to be nurtured. Everyone is doing well, except Ansaldi who is still out, but it seems to me that there's a glimmer of hope for him too, despite his constant presence around the team, which we need. There's optimism about his condition. The team is in good shape, Benedyczak trained today with a mask. We must not leave anything behind after the victory against Venezia; we must look ahead and let everything that happens come from off us. That past day was a beautiful day, beautiful for how it went and exciting. But right after the match, it should immediately project

CITTADELLA’S UNIQUE PHILOSOPHY IN SERIE B

'The match against Cittadella will be different from Venezia. I am convinced in saying that Cittadella has exclusivity in Serie B; like Cittadella, there is no one, and no one can be compared to their philosophy, their style, the way they play on the field, the way they live, the way they play. It's a unique match in this sense, and we must run. And run a lot. Whether it's one attacker or another, we must run. Cittadella is very good at maintaining continuity, and adept at bouncing back; they seem dead and then resurrect. That's why I say it's unique as a team, beyond the players. The result of the first leg counts for little. I expect to face a team with the same way of working, with a very high center of gravity, they are first for balls recovered, for tackles, for duels won, the attacker is also the most fouled. They will come at us because they do it with everyone, and they will do it on Saturday too. It will be a match of rhythms, aggression, and second balls. We will have to rise to Cittadella's level; some spaces, however, will be found, and we will have to be good at exploiting them.'

BEGIĆ, HAINAUT, AND VALENTI WILL BE DECISIVE, LIKE CAMARA

'In the first leg, it was a match where we suffered a lot, Bernabé scored a beautiful goal, and Benedyczak scored from a penalty. But we need goals from everyone. The goal also belongs to those who are too often in the shadows but have an unheard-of importance; they are the ones who push during the week but have few rewards on the field on Sundays. Like Camara, who had been out for too long, he has shown that he's ready. I want to highlight those players who work with great seriousness and professionalism, like Begić, Hainaut, and Valenti, who allow us to have such a high level during training. I congratulate them on their seriousness; it's not easy to do the same things as your teammates, to be on point every day and not have the gratification on Sundays. This allows us to have an extraordinary working atmosphere; too few times we talk about those who are out. But Camara was decisive, and I hope that soon they will be too, not during the week but in the match.'