Coppa Titano kicks off: first legs of the Round of 16 tomorrow and Thursday

The race for the Coppa Titano BKN301, won for the first time last year by Virtus, will get underway tomorrow evening. As holders, Bizzotto’s men are exempt from the exertions of the opening round – equivalent to the Round of 16 – from which the other fourteen contenders will instead start. And not fifteen, because San Marino Academy U22 – as repeatedly underlined – does not take part in this competition. There are five ties scheduled for tomorrow evening, all kicking off at 21:15. Inevitably, the standout fixture is Cosmos-Tre Penne, paired together in the very first act of the tournament by the draw. Fortune certainly did not smile on Nicola Berardi’s side, who last year exited at this very stage at the hands of Virtus – who went on to lift the trophy. That two-legged tie was decided in extra time at the Ezio Conti in Dogana, with Contadini scoring the decisive goal. This time the first leg of Cosmos-Tre Penne will be played in Acquaviva, with both teams coming off one win and one draw in the early stages of the league season. Last season’s two main title protagonists will meet in a two-legged showdown that will knock one of the big favourites out of the Coppa Titano race. The start of the season has been far less encouraging for Sperindio’s Libertas, who will face an in-form Juvenes-Dogana. At the "Ezio Conti" in Dogana tomorrow night, Amati will go in search of a third consecutive positive result, after an excellent display against Tre Penne and an authoritative victory over Domagnano. The clash between the Biancorossazzurri and the Granata will be the only match that will not be broadcast on TITANI.TV due to ongoing renovation works on the main stand and changing rooms at the ground. All the other matches can be followed live, free of charge, as normal on the FSGC platform. Among these, Fiorentino-San Giovanni promises to be a balanced encounter. At the "Federico Crescentini" two compact teams will face off, both coming off narrow defeats after having claimed three points on the opening day of the league. The new Rossoblù era under Camillini has already shown it can build on Niang’s outstanding qualities. San Giovanni, revamped in every department, has produced encouraging signs in both phases of play against both San Marino Academy and Tre Fiori. The Gialloblù from Fiorentino will instead be in action in Montecchio, again tomorrow, against Faetano. The recent hard-fought win over San Giovanni has fuelled the tank of Andrea De Falco’s side, who will be keen to confirm the positive impressions made in their first two outings of the season. Faetano, by contrast, are still looking to strike the right balance, with the aim of bringing through the many young players involved in Pellegrino’s technical project – players who, naturally, need time to fully express themselves in increasingly competitive and high-quality competitions such as those in San Marino. Wrapping up the midweek curtain-raisers is La Fiorita-Cailungo. The Montegiardino club, left empty-handed last year, has already sent out strong signals to the trophy contenders. The win on their league debut against Libertas despite being a man down, followed by the imposing display last weekend against Faetano, leaves little doubt as to the value of this experienced and high-quality side, built to compete for silverware straight away. Cailungo come into the game on the back of a recent victory over Fiorentino, achieved after playing almost an hour with ten men, and are ready to battle it out with their highly rated opponents. Two matches are scheduled for Thursday evening – again at 21:15. Folgore-Pennarossa will be played at the Acquaviva Stadium, where the Falciano club will chase a third consecutive positive result while still yet to concede a goal. By contrast, the Biancorossi have suffered two narrow defeats and are still waiting for their first goal of the season. Scoring goals, on the other hand, does not seem to be a problem for Murata. The Bianconeri have netted nine goals in two games, sending three players to the top of the scoring charts – alongside Alex Ambrosini of La Fiorita. Domagnano have been warned, having allowed far too much to opposing attacks in these early matches. It will be a very useful test for both Angelini and Rossi, also with a view to preparing for Sunday’s league game, when Domagnano and Murata will meet again – once more in Montecchio. In this regard, it will be interesting to see whether the two coaches decide to approach this midweek fixture with all cards on the table or with an eye firmly on the next engagement. Here is the full schedule for the second matchday of the 2023-24 Campionato Sammarinese BKN301: *the match at the Ezio Conti in Dogana will not be streamed live due to renovation works on the main stand and changing rooms at the venue.

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