Championship: a Saturday of intriguing clashes opens Matchday Eleven

Matchday Eleven of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301 will kick off tomorrow with five fixtures, four scheduled for 15:00 and one at 18:15. The opening game at the Acquaviva ground will see San Marino Academy Under 22 face Faetano. The young Biancoazzurri come into this one on the back of three straight defeats and will be eager to bounce back, climb the table and get themselves into post-season contention. On the other side, the Gialloblù are riding the wave of last Saturday’s win over San Giovanni and will do everything they can to claim another victory. What Pellegrino’s men have been lacking so far is consistency in their results. Also at 15:00, but at the Fiorentino Stadium, Pennarossa and Cosmos will go head-to-head. The visitors from the Castello di Serravalle start as favourites but will have to cope without the suspended Rizzitelli. Pennarossa are coming off their first positive result of the season – last Sunday’s draw with Cailungo – which has certainly given the players greater belief in their own ability. Berardi’s men, meanwhile, have recorded back-to-back 4-0 wins, against Juvenes-Dogana and San Marino Academy respectively. Those victories have turned around what had been a decidedly negative spell for Cosmos. The Gialloverdi are under pressure to win if they are to keep their title hopes alive: the Serravalle club currently trail leaders Virtus by 13 points. At the same time in Montecchio, the match clou of Matchday Eleven will take centre stage, as Virtus host Murata. The Neroverdi have been unstoppable so far, winning every game they have played this season across all three competitions. They have no intention of slowing down, but Angelini’s side will be out to derail them. The Bianconeri arrive on the back of three consecutive victories, in which they have scored 11 goals in total, and sit fourth in the table level on points with the more fancied Tre Penne. For this key encounter Murata will have to do without Peters, suspended for one match by the sports judge. The last of the 15:00 fixtures will be played in Domagnano, where Tre Penne and Libertas meet in the "funicular derby". It promises to be a hard-fought clash between two well-structured sides and a very intense rivalry, even if the pundits’ favour tilts towards the team from the Castello di Città. Ceci’s men are under pressure to win after last Saturday’s draw with Domagnano, which cost them second place in the standings, temporarily ceded to La Fiorita. The Biancazzurri will be without Barretta, sidelined due to a yellow-card suspension; on the other side, Morelli will also miss out. Sperindio’s players will likewise take to the pitch hungry for revenge, still smarting from the defeat suffered in the resumed second half against Fiorentino in the last round. The second game of the day on the Acquaviva artificial pitch will be the 18:15 kick-off between Tre Fiori and Cailungo. The Gialloblù will start as favourites and will be out with a point to prove after the loss to La Fiorita, which brought to an end a positive run begun on Matchday Two. Lining up against them will be the Rossoverdi, who have recorded two draws in their last two matches, against Domagnano and Pennarossa. On both occasions the side from the Castello di Borgo Maggiore were left with a bitter taste, having failed to make the most of the chances they created. Sunday’s schedule features three late fixtures, all kicking off at 15:00. The match in Montecchio will pit against each other two teams separated by just a single point in the table, namely Domagnano and San Giovanni, who approach the game in contrasting moods. The Lupi are buoyed by the draw earned against Tre Penne, something they will look to turn to their advantage. Up against them will be Tognacci’s men, who in the last round fell 2-0 to Faetano. Both sides will have one player suspended: Gozzi for the Giallorossi and Garcia for the Borgo Maggiore outfit. A win for either would bring them closer to the play-off zone. The other Sunday clash between mid-table sides will be the derby of the Castello di Serravalle, contested by Juvenes-Dogana and Folgore. Both teams are going through a rough patch, with three consecutive defeats, during which the Biancorossazzurri have conceded thirteen goals in total. Amati’s side are currently eighth on 11 points, two more than the Giallorossoneri. Both are desperate for points to move up the table and boost morale. Also at 15:00, but at the "Federico Crescentini", Fiorentino and La Fiorita will take to the field. It is a very positive moment for both: the Rossoblù have won two of their last three games, while the Gialloblù are on a run of three straight victories. Particularly valuable was their latest success over Tre Fiori, which allowed Manfredini’s men to climb into second place, and a further victory combined with a Virtus slip-up could see them close the gap at the top. The match will see Colagiovanni suspended for Fiorentino and Brighi suspended for La Fiorita. Here is the schedule for the eleventh round of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, with all matches broadcast live – with full commentary – on TITANI.TV:

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