League: derby weekend and potential verdicts

Only three matchdays remain, and just two for the leading pair La Fiorita and Tre Penne – both due their rest day – as well as for Murata. While the top two have been sure of their play-off place for a fortnight and are now simply battling to be crowned regular season champions, the compulsory break could prove pivotal for the Bianconeri. Fabbri’s side sit twelfth and Cailungo – currently the first team outside the Preliminary Round spots – are just four points behind. Curiously, both clubs still have to face Faetano and Virtus, who therefore become key arbiters in the race for the final place granting access to the post-season. For the Rossoverdi, there is also the extra opportunity of the penultimate matchday, when they will meet a Juvenes-Dogana who would need three wins from three to harbour hopes of a comeback worthy of the record books. Murata, without the suspended Ricci, will take on Faetano tomorrow at the Federico Crescentini in Fiorentino. Girolomoni’s men, coming off a setback against Libertas, are practically out of the race for fourth place. That does not mean, however, that motivation will be lacking: finishing fifth instead of eighth could prove decisive, given the automatic pairings to be formed for the Preliminary Round and – later – the play-offs. Tamburini will be missing for the Gialloblù, having been handed a ban by the sports judge. The Serravalle derby matters only to Juvenes-Dogana, who are determined to keep their hopes alive and set up a penultimate league fixture that could allow them to overtake Cailungo in the head‑to‑head clash, thereby pushing the verdict on twelfth place to the final ninety minutes of the regular season. To do that, Amati’s men must first win tomorrow against Cosmos (Montecchio, 15:00) and hope that Murata collect no more than one point from their final two fixtures of the season. The Biancorossazzurri, in fact, hold the advantage in the head‑to‑head record. It will be interesting to see how Juvenes-Dogana have reacted to the midweek collapse against Tre Penne (1-7) and whether they have already placed all their chips on this final trio of regular season matches. There is also the Fiorentino derby on this San Marino league weekend. It will be the fourth meeting of the season, after the two Coppa Titano clashes in the round of 16 (1-1, then 2-0 to last year’s finalists) and the 3-1 on matchday 13, which rewarded the side then coached by Matteo Cecchetti. Tre Fiori, however, appear to have lost some of the sparkle and solidity shown in the first part of the season, and the injury to captain Davide Simoncini, combined with an attack no longer as prolific as a few weeks ago, has allowed Virtus to overtake them in the table – the Neroverdi now sit third, thanks to 10 points from their last five games. Fiorentino aim to build the best possible position between now and the end, perhaps starting with a win in the local derby of the eponymous Castello. They will have to do without Colagiovanni, suspended for accumulated bookings. Saturday’s programme closes with Pennarossa v Libertas, moved to the Ezio Conti in Dogana at 15:00. The match has particular significance for the Chiesanuova club, currently four points behind fourth‑placed Tre Fiori. That position is almost out of reach for Libertas, especially considering that Borgagni’s men have a more favourable run‑in than the teams coached by Selva and Cardini. There are several suspensions: for Pennarossa, Stefanelli and Raffelli are both out for one match, while for the Granata Diego Moretti will miss out after being sent off in the midweek win over Faetano. For Tre Penne, Sunday is the chance to return to the top of the table, capitalising on La Fiorita’s rest day. Ceci’s side will then be keenly interested spectators on the final day of the regular season. Next up is a meeting with Domagnano, a side who know how to hurt the City club: it was the Lupi who, somewhat surprisingly, knocked Tre Penne out of the Coppa Titano. In just over two weeks’ time, Mancini’s men will face Folgore over two legs for a place in the final. Genestreti is definitely out, having reached the yellow-card limit. Folgore are also in action on Sunday, when they will face San Giovanni in Domagnano. Although Tognacci’s team have gone several games without a win, they are level with Murata in twelfth place and ahead of them on goal difference. The reigning champions, without the suspended Dormi, are targeting three wins from their remaining three fixtures: should they manage that, Lepri’s men would be guaranteed to climb at least one place in the standings – especially as Faetano, two spots above them, are only 3 points ahead. The round concludes with the clash between third and third‑from‑bottom: Cailungo v Virtus brings with it a big opportunity for Bizzotto’s side to virtually secure direct qualification for the play‑offs. If the five‑point cushion over fifth‑placed Pennarossa is maintained, Andy Selva’s men would go into their penultimate league game needing to beat La Fiorita to keep alive their hopes of finishing fourth. Virtus, though, also have the ambition of protecting third place from the challenge of Tre Fiori, whom they recently overtook. The two sides will meet next week in the head‑to‑head that could definitively shape the podium – if not the entire top four – at the end of the regular season. Cailungo can no longer afford missteps: the draw with Domagnano was not enough to appear in Murata’s rear‑view mirrors, with the Bianconeri still 4 points ahead. Protti’s men badly need a positive result, so that they can then look to catch or overtake Murata when the Bianconeri observe their rest day. Mattia Urbinati, the Rossoverdi’s leading scorer, will miss out. Here is the schedule for the 28th matchday of the league:

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