Our prediction for this Serie B match:
Mapei Stadium – Citta del Tricolore will host Friday’s football game between Reggiana and Spal. Reggiana sit in the relegation zone ahead of Matchday 37, but a win over Spal could see them move away from the bottom three. Both Marchi and Ardemagni remain in the recovery room, but there are no suspended players in the home team ahead of the match. Spal, on the other hand, are eyeing a place in the Serie B playoffs.
The Gli Spalini are on a three-game losing run, and seeing that they are likely to go for a win in Friday’s clash as well, we are tempted to put our money on both teams to score. All Valoti, Vicari, and Viviani are out of contention through injuries, but there are no suspended players in the away team. You should bear in mind, though, that under 2.5 goals have been netted in each of the previous six meetings between the two teams in all competitions.
Highlighted Player (Lucas Castro):
Lucas Castro was born in La Plata, Argentina on 9 April, 1989. He played for his home-town club Gimnasia La Plata at the start of his senior career and the pacey winger made 68 league appearances for los Triperos from 2008 to 2011. Racing Club signed him for the 2011/2012 season and he scored five goals in 26 appearances for the club in the national championship.
In 2012 he decided to move to Europe as he signed a five-year deal with Serie A side Catania for a fee of €2.5 million. The Argentine footballer scored 13 goals for the Sicilian outfit from 2012 to 2015 and on 29 June, 2016 he joined fellow Serie A side Chievo.
Lucas Castro received Argentina call-up in 2011 for a friendly against Brazil, but he did not come from the bench. Castro is a winger, but he is capable of playing as a central midfielder. His market value on 15 July, 2016 was €6 million.
Highlighted Team (SPAL):
SPAL impressed in the 2016/2017 Serie B campaign, with the team finishing the season in top position in the standings, four points clear of second-placed Hellas Verona.
The Biancazzurri returned to the Italian elite division following a 49-year absence and it has to be noted that they finished the 2016/2017 Serie A campaign in 14th place in the table. As a result, they were relegated to the Italian second tier at the end of the season.
The club was founded in 1907 as Circolo Ars et Labor and six years later was renamed as Societa Polisportiva Ars et Labor. After a bankruptcy the club was re-founded in 2005 and they have been competing as SPAl 1907 ever since.
SPAL welcome their rivals at Stadio Paolo Mazza, the venue which was opened in 1928. You should know that the capacity of the stadium is 12.438 Rovigo are regarded as Spal’s fiercest rivals and the two teams face each other in the Derby of Polesine.