BKN301 Championship, Matchday 7: no Sunday fixtures as La Fiorita-Tre Penne takes centre stage

Six games on Saturday for a league round – the 7th – that will forego Sunday as a matchday to make room for NAT San Marino’s international commitment, as they depart on 24 October for the Regions’ Cup trip to Bulgaria. The programme opens with the Friday night curtain-raiser between Murata and Faetano, a very fresh replay of the BKN301 Coppa Titano round of 16 tie, which ended with a remarkable comeback by the Bianconeri after losing the first leg 3-1. It will also be a very close clash in terms of the table, with the Gialloblù on three points – thanks to the win secured last weekend – and the Bianconeri on six, eager to make up for a spell of two straight league defeats, perhaps riding the adrenaline from their midweek cup exploits. In the packed Saturday schedule – split between the 15:00 and 18:30 kick-off slots – one game clearly stands out: the late-afternoon showdown between La Fiorita and Tre Penne. It is impossible not to think back to the many finals contested by these two sides in recent years; this time they meet with provisional top spot at stake, La Fiorita looking to defend it and Tre Penne determined to snatch it away, Cosmos permitting. Lasagni’s Gialloblù managed their resources in the second leg of the BKN301 Coppa Titano round of 16, with the aim of immediately bouncing back from last Saturday’s defeat, their second of the season after the one in the Supercoppa. Rinaldi and team-mates had been on maximum points with a perfect defensive record before Virtus inflicted a 2-0 defeat that further spiced up the battle for first place in the Single Group and all the added value that position carries this year. Tre Penne, for their part, remain unbeaten in the league, although Ceci’s men also stuttered in the last round after a run of four straight wins. Erasing the 2-2 draw with Juvenes-Dogana and taking top spot off their opponents on the day is what is driving the Biancoazzurri, who also come into this one after a major cup performance in the return leg. The match will be played in Acquaviva. It was Tre Penne who sent Pennarossa out of the 2022-23 Coppa Titano earlier than expected. Overall the Biancorossi are going through a tough spell after a bright start to the season: two consecutive league defeats, added to last night’s loss, make a clear change of course a must for Farabegoli’s men, who on Saturday face Cailungo, currently second from bottom in the Single Group and coming off a goalless draw against Domagnano. Rossoverde will be without the suspended Iuzzolino. Having had no cup commitments so far and thus resting between Tuesday and Wednesday, Tre Fiori are ready to resume their pursuit of top spot. By beating Pennarossa, Andy Selva’s side ended a two-game points drought and are now seeking consistency. Standing in the Gialloblù’s way will be San Giovanni, flying high on the back of three consecutive league victories, blemished only by their Coppa Titano exit, which came in extra time. However, Marco Tognacci will be without Luca Angelini, suspended for this round by the Sports Judge. With the Coppa Titano objective gone, Cosmos will now throw themselves heart and soul into the other competition in which they are still involved and very much in contention, even if Di Maio and his team-mates have shown a slight dip in recent weeks. In any case, the clash between La Fiorita and Tre Penne, combined with Virtus’ rest day, presents a huge opportunity for the Serravalle side, who face Juvenes-Dogana in the derby. Thanks to last Sunday’s draw, Juvenes-Dogana managed to halt a run of three straight defeats, but they are still chasing a victory that has eluded them since the opening game of the season. Securing it against the powerful Gialloverdi will not be easy, even if Amati’s men can rely on fresh doses of confidence and self-belief following their progression in the cup. Cosmos will be without the suspended Zulli. Folgore, fresh from their win over Murata and qualification for the BKN301 Coppa Titano quarter-finals, are trying to understand whether their early-season difficulties are now definitively behind them. The test against Domagnano will help Lepri’s side in this regard as well, although their primary focus is naturally on climbing back up a table that currently finds the Giallorossoneri just below the halfway line, three points adrift of the trio formed by Pennarossa, Libertas and San Giovanni. As for the Giallorossi Wolves, the pressing concern is to react to a period of inconsistency and, above all, a total lack of wins. Amadori’s team are still hunting for their first three-point haul of the season, and that is presumably the main thing on their minds as they look ahead to the match in Acquaviva. They will have to do without Michael Parma, suspended for accumulated bookings. Alongside La Fiorita – Tre Penne, the other 18:30 kick-off pits Fiorentino against Libertas. The Granata are unbeaten in the league but have never managed to string wins together: their campaign so far has followed a perfect alternation of victories and draws. This will not be the weekend in which they can put together back-to-back three-point results, given that they drew with Cosmos in the last round. Even so, Cardini’s side have an interesting opportunity to knock on the door of the upper reaches of the table once again. Libertas will in fact be facing the bottom club in the Single Group, Fiorentino, who so far have managed to collect just one point in the competition, courtesy of their early October draw with Domagnano. Malandri will be without a couple of players: Baizan, who must serve the first of a two-match ban, and goalkeeper Bianchi. Libertas will be missing Pesaresi. Both the Friday night curtain-raiser and the six Saturday fixtures will be available live on Titani.TV. Here is the full schedule:

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