Futsal: top-of-the-table clashes on Matchday 10, chance for Tre Fiori

This could be Tre Fiori’s night in the race for third place. If, as expected, Folgore and Fiorentino once again confirm themselves as ruthless cannibals of a league in which Spada’s and Michelotti’s sides have so far done nothing but win – one boasting the best attack and the other the best defence – a simultaneous Tre Fiori win over Libertas would deliver sole ownership of third place to the Gialloblù coached by Alex Bugli. The clash with the Borgo Maggiore side – who will be without the suspended Francesco Rossi – is scheduled for Monday evening in Acquaviva (9:45 p.m.), immediately after Fiorentino-Virtus. The match that will test the technical, physical and mental resilience of Pollini’s men is the most intriguing fixture of Matchday 10. Fiorentino, extensively revamped in the summer with the return to the Rossoblù of players such as Busignani and Protti, not to mention other high-profile arrivals secured by the club from the namesake Castello, are targeting a ninth consecutive victory. Virtus, who last season celebrated qualification for the play-offs in both national competitions for the first time since the Acquaviva club launched its futsal project, are confirming themselves as an organised, awkward side with very clear ideas. After all, if the Neroverdi are only six points off the leading pair – who have won every game so far – there is a reason. So the stage is set in Acquaviva, from 8:15 p.m. onwards. At the same time, on the Fiorentino artificial pitch, La Fiorita and Folgore will meet again for the first time since last season’s league final, which saw the Scudetto return to Falciano. There are many new faces in the team coached by Massimiliano Spada, who continues to build around the namesake Bernardi – captain, top scorer and reigning Futsal Best Player. The 8:15 p.m. kick-off will be a particularly special match for Thomas Pellegrini, a key figure in La Fiorita’s excellent recent campaigns (runners-up in San Marino in the last two editions) and who moved in the summer to Folgore, where he started making his mark right from his Super Cup debut. At the end of the sixty minutes of play, Pennarossa and Juvenes-Dogana will take to the Fiorentino court. Kick-off is at 9:45 p.m. for a match of huge importance to both teams. Zonzini’s side are looking for continuity and big points in their push for third place. Pennarossa, after an initial difficult spell, appear to have found their stride: the Biancorossi have collected seven of their ten points so far in their last three outings against Libertas, San Giovanni and Murata. The Juvenes-Dogana test – a very good blend of experience, talent and solidity – comes at just the right time for Casadei’s players. Two important clashes in Dogana right from the start, in terms of post-season implications. Although far from the top spots and harbouring ambitions that are realistically a long way from the Scudetto fight, Cailungo, San Giovanni and Cosmos are currently the three teams outside the Preliminary Round, which will involve those finishing between fifth and twelfth in the regular season. The current cut-off is Murata’s seven points – one win away or less for Muccioli’s and Gualtieri’s sides, and far more distant for a Cailungo team still chasing their first points. They will attempt to do so without the suspended Frisoni and against a Cosmos side (Dogana, 8:15 p.m.) recently beaten by Tre Penne in what could have been a third positive result in a row after the draw with San Giovanni and the manita handed out to Faetano. Curiously, the same two teams will close out Monday night’s programme, again in Dogana (9:45 p.m.). The Gialloblù’s fortunes rest heavily on El Attar’s form: unsurprisingly, victory returned as soon as the pivot came back from suspension, proving absolutely decisive in the recent 7-0 win over Cailungo, in which he scored five times. San Giovanni, for their part, are eager to get back to a win that has been missing for too long and to put behind them two narrow and painful defeats against Tre Penne and Pennarossa, and above all to show that the Rossoneri are worth far more than the 2-12 loss to Folgore might suggest. Last but not least, the Castello di Città derby between Tre Penne and Murata. Separated by just two points in the table, both are chasing a win that would strengthen their position at a safe distance from the bottom three. On the Bianconeri side, Della Valle and Conti have been suspended by the sporting judge and will miss Tuesday’s late fixture (Dogana, 9:15 p.m.). Here is the programme for the tenth round of the Campionato Sammarinese di futsal, in which Domagnano will observe their rest day.

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