CREMONA - Fabio Pecchia has announced the 23-man squad for US Cremonese's Serie B match against Benevento. The Grigiorossi, sitting 15th in the standings with 9 points from two wins, three draws and four losses, return to action on Saturday 31 October at 15:00 at the Stadio Zini, in the tenth round of the championship, following a 2-0 away win at Mantova. That result halted a poor run, as the team's recent form over the last five games shows two wins, one draw and two defeats.
The coach has been able to reintegrate two important players. Midfielder Michele Collocolo and forward Adin Ličina are both back available after injury lay-offs. First-choice defender Giuseppe Pezzella has been included in the list despite suffering cramps in the last match, the 2-0 win at Mantova where Federico Bonazzoli scored in the first minute and Marco Nasti netted in the 80th. "Cremonese is preparing to return to the pitch after the 2-0 success achieved at Mantova," said Pecchia.
Several absences, however, affect his selection. Defender Alessandro Vogliacco is out with a muscle problem, while Matteo Bianchetti remains sidelined with the facial trauma sustained against Arezzo, a match that ended 0-0 on 10 October. Tommaso Barbieri serves a suspension following his red card in the previous fixture, the 0-1 home defeat to Juve Stabia on 24 October.
The team, currently 15th in the standings with 9 points, faces a top-five opponent. Benevento sit fifth in Serie B and represent a significant test for consistency. Federico Bonazzoli, the team's top scorer with 4 goals in 7 appearances, will be a key reference in attack alongside Marco Nasti, who scored the second goal at Mantova. The team has scored 8 league goals while conceding 11, for a goal difference of -3, and finds itself 14 points behind the league leaders.
Pecchia's 23-man squad is divided by position. The goalkeepers are Fulignati (1), Festa (12) and Agazzi (22). The defence includes Pezzella (3), Luperto (5), Baschirotto (6), Fellipe Jack (13) and Marsi (28). The midfield offers ten options: Thorsby (2), Lottici Tessadri (8), Berti (14), Lickunas (17), Collocolo (18), Lordkipanidze (25), Vandeputte (27), Grassi (33) and Elia (71). The eight forwards are Stuckler (7), De Luca (9), Licina (10), Djuric (11), Nasti (19), Herzuah (26), Bonazzoli (90) and David Stückler (7).
Saturday's match is an opportunity to improve their league position and move closer to the upper mid-table. The aim is to confirm the attacking performance shown at Mantova, where the team scored twice and kept a clean sheet. To do so, they must overcome a Benevento side in fifth place, in a key fixture to turn around a difficult season so far.
This story first appeared at uscremonese.it
