Futsal, Preliminary Round kicks off tomorrow: double derby scheduled in Dogana

With the first trophy of 2025 awarded on Monday, San Marino futsal swiftly turns its attention to the league post season. This gets under way tomorrow evening with the four first-leg matches of the Preliminary Round, set to be played as double-headers on the pitches in Fiorentino and Dogana. Tre Penne, the best-placed side among those that did not secure direct access to the quarter-finals (a privilege reserved for the top four in the table), will face Cailungo, the team that claimed the last available play-off spot. It goes without saying that the Rossoverdi cannot rely on any league-position advantage and will therefore have to achieve a better overall goal difference – over the two legs – against one of the surprise packages of the season. Cailungo ended the regular season with a slight dip in form (one draw in three games) but had done very well previously, winning both head-to-head meetings this season, scoring an impressive seven goals in both the home and away fixtures. On the same court – in Fiorentino – Domagnano and Juvenes-Dogana will meet, sixth and eleventh respectively in the regular-season standings. Here too, past meetings tell a one-sided story: Domagnano have always won, closing out the previous phase of the league by coming back from 0-3 to draw 3-3 with Tre Penne. They will look to ride that momentum, as well as make the most of their higher league position over the two-legged tie. Juvenes-Dogana also come into this from a draw, earned in the direct clash with Folgore, which was not enough for the Biancorossoazzurri to climb above the second-from-bottom place among those granting access to the post season. Juvenes-Dogana will again have to do without Thomas Celli, who serves the second match of a two-game suspension picked up against Cailungo.

Two derbies are on the schedule in Dogana. The first is between Folgore and Cosmos, with the Giallorossoneri having protected their one-point lead over Juvenes-Dogana and the Gialloverdi needing a reaction after two defeats in a row. Cosmos start with a slight edge, having finished the single-group table with seven more points than their “cousins”. However, the record of this season’s meetings deserves a special mention: 3-0 to Folgore in the first game, 3-0 to Cosmos in the return. The other derby at the Ezio Conti sees Fiorentino take on Tre Fiori, the two sides closest to each other – among those involved in the Preliminary Round – in the standings frozen after matchday 30 of the regular season. Fiorentino were eighth, Tre Fiori ninth, with just two points separating them. Previous results are completely in favour of the Rossoblù: 8-2 in the first match, 7-1 in the second. Fiorentino come into this first leg on the back of two consecutive wins; but Tre Fiori’s recent form is positive as well, with four wins in five games before their rest round. The eight teams involved at this stage of the competition will meet again on Monday evening for the return legs.

Here is the full fixture list for the Preliminary Round:

Click here for the updated league table.