Futsal: all-yellow-and-blue sprint for the last play-off place

Everything in one evening. Or rather: everything that is still left to be decided, in one evening. To be precise, the very last evening, the one dedicated to matchday 30 of the futsal league. Four positions are still up in the air: second, fifth, eighth and twelfth. The battle for the latter is by far the most delicate. Reaching it or missing out on it will make all the difference in the world for Tre Fiori who, having “survived” the clash with Domagnano (two goals up and then pegged back), now go all in in the derby with Fiorentino, who have had more rest than their cousins but, unlike them, have nothing left to play for. It is no coincidence that this match (scheduled for 20:15 on Monday) will be played on the pitch most familiar to both sides – Fiorentino’s home court – and even less of a coincidence that Faetano-Domagnano will kick off at exactly the same time – but in Dogana. Indeed, the yellow-and-blues coached by Matteo Selva are the side battling with Tre Fiori for the very last play-off spot. At the moment, Faetano sit exactly where they hope to remain once the final 60 minutes of the regular season are over, three points clear of their rivals, who however are ahead in the head-to-head record. Unlike Tre Fiori though, they will be facing an opponent who still have something to play for in the table and a lot to make up for, given that – as mentioned – on Thursday they squandered a two-goal lead. Domagnano, locked in a dogfight with Cosmos for eighth place, have in fact achieved what they wanted – overtaking Franchino’s Gialloverdi – but not to the extent they would have liked, namely by putting some daylight between themselves and their rivals. The Wolves are ahead only thanks to the head-to-head and cannot rely on anything other than a win, or they risk being overtaken right on the final bend. Cosmos will play knowing Domagnano’s result. In this case there will be no simultaneous kick-off: the clash between Franchino’s side and Folgore will be played on the same green as Faetano-Domagnano, but obviously at a different time – 21:45. If Domagnano were to beat Faetano, Cosmos would take to the court resigned to finishing ninth. Otherwise, their fate would be entirely in their own hands, bearing in mind though that they will be up against a fired-up Folgore, under pressure from Pennarossa and Juvenes Dogana. Zonzini’s Giallorossoneri, beaten by Virtus, have seen their cushion shrink from +4 to +1: that is why only a win would give them real guarantees, especially considering that their direct rivals will be playing in the same time slot. Neither of the latter will have an easy test. In Domagnano, Juvenes Dogana – who have strung together three wins in a row – face a Murata side who locked up top spot weeks ago but have shown no sign of easing off – see, for example, the 7-1 thrashing handed out to Tre Penne last Thursday; Tre Penne will have a bye tomorrow night. Cellarosi’s players will have to throw their hearts over the hurdle, every bit as much as Pennarossa in their showdown in Fiorentino with a Virtus side who can only secure the runners-up spot, without any risk, by winning. La Fiorita are level on points with the Neroverdi but behind on head-to-head. To come out on top they must beat Cailungo – at the Multieventi – and also hope that Virtus do not take maximum points against Pennarossa, who in turn boast the advantage in the head-to-head in a potential two-way tie with Juvenes Dogana. There is also another scenario: a three-way tie with Folgore and Juvenes Dogana. In that case, the mini-league would read as follows: Pennarossa fifth, Folgore sixth and Juvenes Dogana seventh. Having already celebrated in advance the achievement of their first seasonal objective, Libertas approach their final regular season fixture in a relaxed frame of mind. This despite having another derby on the agenda, their second in a row after Cailungo. The Granata will be hoping to repeat the positive feelings from last Thursday, against a San Giovanni side who, like them, will be playing more for pride than for position in the table. Kick-off at the Domagnano Sports Centre is at 20:15.

Here is the fixture list for matchday 30 of the league:

Click here to view the standings