Futsal: La Fiorita-Folgore the standout fixture of Matchday Eight

Matchday Eight of the league opens in Dogana with the clash between Faetano and Domagnano. The odds are slightly in favour of the Wolves, who come into this one on the back of three positive results (including the Titano Futsal Cup). Those wins have allowed Gasperoni’s side both to climb away from the lower reaches of the table and to progress in the cup. The Gialloblù, on the other hand, are coming off a heavy defeat at the hands of San Giovanni and know they threw away a big chance to relaunch their league campaign. Gualtieri’s men now sit fourth from bottom on 4 points. At the same time in Acquaviva there will be a relegation-zone clash, Libertas versus Cosmos. The Granata are seeking redemption after the heavy defeat they suffered last time out against Tre Fiori, going down 1-7. Penserini’s men sit bottom of the table, also due to San Giovanni’s win in the previous round. Awaiting them is the side from the Castello di Serravalle, partially boosted by a good 3-3 draw in the derby with Juvenes-Dogana. That draw for the Gialloverdi in the last round brought an end to a negative run that had lasted seven matches (including the Titano Futsal Cup). Murata and San Giovanni will get proceedings underway on the artificial pitch in Fiorentino. The Bianconeri are coming off two consecutive defeats in which they conceded 11 goals in total and slipped to sixth place in the standings. Cellarosi’s men will have a great opportunity tomorrow to get back to winning ways and leapfrog Virtus by taking advantage of the Neroverdi’s rest day. The Rossoneri, however, will do everything they can to throw a spanner in the works for their opponents. The side from the Castello di Borgo Maggiore head into the match riding the enthusiasm of their first win of the season, claimed last time out against Faetano. That victory lifted Corbelli’s men off the bottom and could prove a turning point in their ambitions for the season. The second game of the evening in Acquaviva will see Tre Fiori and Cailungo go head to head. The two sides come into it in completely contrasting form. The team from the Castello di Fiorentino are enjoying a near-perfect season, with nothing but wins apart from defeat to one of the two joint leaders, namely Fiorentino. Bugli’s men have scored 21 goals in their last three league matches. By contrast, the Rossoverdi have recorded just one win all season, losing all their other games. Venerucci’s players are looking for a reaction to turn their campaign around, but they know they are up against one of the form teams in the league. The second fixture in Fiorentino will be La Fiorita v Folgore, unquestionably the big match of the round. It pits the leaders – level on points with Fiorentino but with a game more – against the third-placed side, with only two points between them. Since losing on the opening day, the Gialloblù have done nothing but win and have recently climbed to the top of the table, level with Fiorentino, also thanks to Michelotti’s men having their bye week. The team from the Castello di Serravalle are also having a season in line with expectations and, with a win combined with a failure by Fiorentino to take all three points, could move top. Once Faetano-Domagnano is over, Dogana will host the match between league leaders Fiorentino and Juvenes-Dogana. Michelotti’s side are the only team still with a 100% record in the league and do not intend to slow down, because if La Fiorita were to slip up, the Rossoblù would move clear at the top. On the other side, the Biancorossazzurri are coming off three positive results in a row (including the Titano Futsal Cup) and a shock win here would see them overtake Virtus in the standings, with the latter sitting this round out. For this match Juvenes-Dogana will be without their coach Levani on the touchline, as he is suspended for one game due to yellow-card accumulation. The late fixture, which will be the only indoor match of the round, will be played on Wednesday evening at 21:45 at the Multieventi. Facing each other will be Pennarossa and Tre Penne, who are level on points on 9. Both sides are having a season of ups and downs. A victory would allow either of them to avoid losing too much ground on the leaders. The Biancorossi come into it on the back of two straight wins in which they have scored 10 goals. Ghiotti’s men are also going through a good spell: in the last round they narrowly lost to La Fiorita, having previously strung together three wins in a row. Here is the schedule for Matchday Eight of the 2023-24 Campionato Sammarinese di Futsal:

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