Futsal: Cosmos-Pennarossa with crucial points at stake before the break

On the eve of the rescheduled Matchday 25 of the futsal league, only two of the twelve spots available for the post-season are still up for grabs, while the race for fourth place is wide open. Murata and La Fiorita are separated by just a single point after last week’s win for the Bianconeri, when the Montegiardino side had their bye. Now comes the difficult part for Cellarosi’s men, who must defend the position they have just taken against leaders Fiorentino. The match is scheduled for tomorrow in Dogana, kick-off at 21:45. By then, La Fiorita will already have played: the Gialloblù take on Cailungo (Domagnano, 20:15) and are strong favourites to claim a win that could take them back into the top four. That would allow them to avoid taking part in the Preliminary Round of the play-offs. That target has already been secured by Folgore: although among the contenders for the top spots the Falciano club are the only team still to serve their bye before the end of the season, their eleven-point cushion over fifth place lets the Giallorossoneri sleep soundly. Tomorrow in Fiorentino they face Domagnano (Fiorentino, 20:15), sitting right in the middle of the table and still harbouring some ambition of finishing seventh, despite the recent goalless draw with Cosmos having denied Gasperoni’s boys the chance to close in on Virtus. The Neroverdi will play the next game at the same venue, facing Libertas (Fiorentino, 21:45). It is not the best moment to be meeting the Borgo Maggiore side, who come into the match on the back of three wins in their last five outings. A trend better than that of Virtus, who over the same period have collected six points and lost three matches – albeit those defeats came against the top teams. Opening the programme in Dogana will be Tre Penne and San Giovanni (20:15). The Rossoneri are not yet mathematically relegated from contention, but with four games left to make up an eight-point gap to Pennarossa, a sensational comeback looks unlikely. On the contrary, a defeat to Tre Penne – who themselves are looking to close in on Domagnano – could bring the exclusion of the Borgo Maggiore club from the post-season a step closer to inevitability. Much will hinge on the clash between Cosmos and Pennarossa (Domagnano, 21:45). As it stands both are in the play-off positions, separated by just one point and fully involved in the battle with Cailungo. Despite being the only side still to observe a rest day, Cosmos have the most favourable run-in: the final fixtures for the Gialloverdi, who will be interested spectators on the last day of the regular season, are against Faetano and San Giovanni, currently sharing bottom spot in the table. Also in action tomorrow are Juvenes-Dogana and Tre Fiori, in the indoor clash at the Multieventi (21:45). The Gialloblù are chasing a seventh straight win, which would significantly strengthen their bid to finish in the top four. It will be no easy game against Levani’s side, who have put together four victories in a row, including a prestigious success over Fiorentino. With Virtus just behind them and to be faced immediately after the break, Juvenes-Dogana are focused on defending sixth place, hoping then to push on and improve their position further – although La Fiorita currently enjoy a six-point advantage over the Biancorossazzurri. The Campionato Sammarinese di futsal will resume on Thursday 18 April, with the fixtures for Matchday 27 – the fourth-from-last round of the regular season. Next week the spotlight turns to the National Team: Roberto Osimani’s Titani will travel to Austria to play the European Championship qualifying group. Here is the schedule for the rescheduled Matchday 25 of the Campionato Sammarinese di futsal: Click here for the updated standings

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