League: Cailungo, now or never

The fourth-from-last round of the league will be played in the midweek fixtures tomorrow and Wednesday, featuring clashes that could prove decisive at several levels of the table. La Fiorita and Tre Penne, first and second respectively, will take on Murata and Juvenes-Dogana. Fabbri’s side are chasing points to secure a place in the Preliminary Round, while the runners-up are determined not to surrender the regular season crown to Tre Penne – whom they have only just overtaken after months spent in pursuit. The same logic naturally applies to Ceci’s team, coming off yesterday afternoon’s painful defeat to Virtus. The work of Bizzotto’s midfielders, who ran themselves into the ground to disrupt Gai and Battistini’s attempts to build play, may have exposed the limits of a side with superior technical quality but unable to find a way through the second-best defence in the league – even after playing the entire second half with four forwards on the pitch at the same time. Back in action after their bye week are Cosmos, bottom of the table and already out of post-season contention. Facing them are one of the form teams of the moment, Virtus. After their superb all-round display against Tre Penne, the Acquaviva club must now back it up in a fixture that looks straightforward on paper. These are, in fact, the kind of games that pose the biggest headaches in terms of motivation. Faetano, buoyed by their thrilling win over Pennarossa, are aiming to mathematically knock Libertas out of the race for fourth place – their next opponents. The Borgo Maggiore side are going through a very difficult spell and the target of fourth place now seems to have slipped away – barring an incredible harakiri from Virtus and unexpected stumbles from Pennarossa and Faetano. For Girolomoni’s men, in contrast, the opposite is true: they are among the best-performing teams in 2022 and sit just four points behind the current fourth-placed side. Cailungo-Domagnano will also be played in advance. The Giallorossi picked up a massive win over Folgore, allowing them to move nine points clear of 13th place, currently occupied by their next opponents. For Protti’s players, the clash in Acquaviva represents perhaps the last chance to get themselves back in the race for a Preliminary Round berth. A possible win over his former club, combined with slip-ups by Murata and San Giovanni (both facing tricky matches), would allow the coach from Rimini to reopen all scenarios. Domagnano, on the other hand, can afford to settle for a draw to seal qualification for the knockout phase with three rounds to spare. A result that would also be welcomed by Juvenes-Dogana, who are trying to engineer a remarkable comeback towards 12th place – a target that, as things stand, looks close to utopian. A positive result against Tre Penne, however, could provide extra fuel for their attempt to turn that dream into reality. As mentioned, there is also Murata: Achille Fabbri’s side, five points above third-from-bottom, are the only team yet to observe their bye week among those involved in the race for 12th place. It is a significant handicap, especially considering that the fixture list still has in store La Fiorita, Faetano and Virtus for the Neroverdi – in other words, the in-form sides of the moment. On Wednesday in Domagnano, Murata will try to trip up the new league leaders – just as they did to Tre Fiori less than 24 hours ago. Also on Wednesday, at the Crescentini Stadium in Fiorentino, both San Giovanni and Pennarossa will be looking to put a dismal weekend behind them. Selva’s team suffered a painful defeat to Faetano, who are now just one point behind. Above all, they saw Virtus break away alone in fourth place, three points ahead. Nothing is lost: Pennarossa still hold the edge in the head-to-head record, and if they were to finish level on points with the Acquaviva club, it would be Chiesanuova who prevail. Clearly, though, there is now no more room for error. The same applies to San Giovanni, who fell victim to Juvenes-Dogana’s stunning comeback which has massively complicated Tognacci’s plans to reach the Preliminary Round. Before Michelotti’s goal, the Rossoneri were virtually seven points clear of third-from-bottom with four games remaining. At the final whistle, however, the gap to Cailungo was unchanged (four). The situation is broadly similar between Folgore and Fiorentino, separated by roughly the same distance and experiencing the current standings with very different feelings. Seventh place is hardly satisfactory for the reigning champions, and Saturday’s defeat to Domagnano was in effect a missed chance to keep pace with Virtus. The Top Four now seem out of reach: it is therefore crucial to build the best possible position in the table to secure a favourable pairing in the Preliminary Round. Which is also exactly Fiorentino’s objective. They would be mathematically in the post-season with a win over Folgore or if Cailungo fail to take all three points. It was against Cailungo, in fact, that the Rossoblù produced their decisive surge, hitting them for four in a superb display that should serve as a warning to Folgore: Malandri’s front three are a serious threat. To the outstanding quality of Ben Kacem and Abouzziane (25 goals between them), Fiorentino have added the experience and height of Castellazzi – who netted a hat-trick against Tre Penne before the break. Here is the schedule for the 17th matchday of the league:

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