Spezia v Cremonese

• Spezia and Cremonese were the top two sides to miss out on automatic promotion, finishing third and fourth, respectively.

• As such, under the play-off rules, Cremonese must win within 90 minutes to achieve promotion, else Spezia will go up by virtue of their higher league finish.

• The first leg saw a total of just 14 shots, with Spezia managing just one. Each side managed just one shot on target.

• Cremonese head into the second leg unbeaten in their last eight meetings with Spezia.

​​With a coveted spot in Serie A hanging in the balance, Spezia and Cremonese square off once more on Sunday in the decisive second leg of their gripping Serie B play-off final.

Fans who tuned in for the first leg were left severely disappointed with neither side finding a way onto the scoresheet in a dull 0-0 draw, which produced a grand total of just two shots on target.

This was out of character for both sides, but in particular for Cremonese, who had built a reputation as one of the most exciting teams in the division.

It was no surprise to see Spezia and Cremonese meet in the play-off final, after strong seasons saw them skip straight to the semis, where they promptly made light work of their rivals. 

Spezia edged Cremonese by five points in the table, but a downturn towards the end worried fans, and their performance in the away leg will have done little to reassure them.

⭐ Spezia v Cremonese Predictions and Best Bets

Cremonese were the dominant outfit in the reverse leg and backing them to win at 2.9 looks like value. Last time out, they dominated 69% of possession and restricted Spezia to just a single shot. That said, Cremonese’s strong record against Spezia goes much further back, having remained unbeaten across each of their last eight meetings, managing wins in half of them. 

Backing Spezia to score a maximum of one goal could also represent value at 1.5. With the play-off formatting rules favouring the higher-placed side, Spezia know a draw during the 90 minutes would seal promotion, giving them every incentive to prioritise a solid defensive display, something they’ve excelled at this season, recording the league’s best defence. Spezia failed to find the back of the net twice in half of their league matches this season, and having managed just 1 shot last time out, there’s little reason to suggest they’ll score twice on Sunday.

🔴 Do or Die: Cremonese Look To Carry Form into Decisive Second Leg

Cremonese spent much of the season hovering around the promotion spots and were always strong candidates, but a strong finish ensured they didn’t just qualify - they did so as semi-final seeds, for the second season running.

A ten-match unbeaten surge from Gameweek 28, comprising five wins and five draws, all but cemented their top-four position.

Since then, they’ve put out a series of strong performances in the play-offs.

In the Semi-Finals, Cremonese confidently saw off Juve Stabia, winning 4-2 on aggregate despite having narrowly lost the away leg 2-1.

As mentioned earlier, they also put out a superior display to Spezia in the first leg of the Final, although they lacked the ability to carve out that final pass, ultimately having to settle for a draw.

As such, only a win inside 90 minutes would suffice to avoid disappointment once more for Cremonese.

⚪ Spezia Force Themselves to Steady the Nerves as They Eye Serie A Return

Having steamrolled into an initial dominant position, Spezia limped their way into the play-offs on the back of a shaky run, managing just four victories in their final 14 league fixtures.

The dismal stretch also saw them lose four times, twice the number of defeats they’d suffered across their opening 24 games. 

Their dip in form raised alarm bells at just the wrong time. But when the knockouts arrived, Spezia rediscovered their sharpness, sweeping aside Catanzaro with confident displays in both legs.

The commanding 4-1 aggregate win reignited belief for Spezia, who played out their last season in Serie A back in 2022-23.

That said, the opening leg of their promotion-deciding battle with Cremonese was not a display to be proud of, but safe in the knowledge that, just a draw will suffice at home, Spezia are unlikely to have lost confidence by any stretch of the imagination.

📊 Spezia v Cremonese Head-to-Head Key Stats

Cremonese have held the upper hand in this fixture in recent times, avoiding defeat in each of their past eight meetings with Spezia. That said, half of those matches produced draws, which would not be enough to see Cremonese achieve promotion.

Nonetheless, in concerning news for Spezia fans, Cremonese’s dominance has grown even stronger in their most recent encounters, having recorded four wins and two draws across the last six.

Typically, those have been pretty exciting affairs, however, the first leg of the play-off final was anything but, producing a grand total of 14 shots, only two of which were on target.

Spezia fired off just a single shot over the 90, and resorted to committing a remarkable 21 fouls. This almost led to Spezia going down to ten men as the referee handed Filippo Bandinelli a straight red card, although VAR went on to convert this to yellow.

You wouldn’t be far off to suggest that the officials actually had more on their plate than the players themselves, with Spezia also having a goal chalked off for a handball in the buildup, just one flashpoint in a match littered with a staggering 35 fouls.

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* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.