Futsal: all the top vs bottom clashes on matchday nine of the Campionato Sammarinese

The ninth matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese futsal season looks set to widen the gap between the two halves of the table, not to mention the leading trio who are threatening to break away – a group from which Folgore cannot afford to be excluded, despite currently sitting fourth with just one win from their last four league outings. Murata sit this one out, acting as the hinge between the top four and the sides still searching for a stable position and clear identity. The runners-up of San Marino will open the Domagnano programme, facing Faetano tomorrow evening at 20:15. Like their more fancied opponents, the Gialloblù are not enjoying a particularly memorable spell – even if the four points they have on the board have all come in their last five games. For Zonzini’s men, five points adrift of the leaders (potentially eight, once Fiorentino’s rest week is mirrored by the Giallorossoneri), there is no more room for error. A little later, it will be Cailungo-Faetano in the most classic of top vs bottom encounters. Venerucci’s side are joint bottom, while Michelotti’s near-perfect machine share top spot with La Fiorita and are virtually clear leaders. The “near” refers to the Supercoppa lost to Folgore, because in the rest of the season the men wearing the Scudetto on their chest have strung together nothing but wins. Looking at the table, the narrowest gap is the one between Domagnano and Pennarossa (Fiorentino, 20:15). Also because in Tre Penne-Virtus we can hardly talk about any gap at all. Casadei’s Biancorossi trail Domagnano by three points, with the latter currently showing their best form of the season. They come into this one on a three-game winning streak in the league, including victory over Murata. Pennarossa, for their part, may benefit from having skipped midweek duties in the Titano Futsal Cup – a competition that did involve Capone and team-mates last Thursday. With three wins from seven games, the Chiesanuova club now need to understand whether it is realistic to nurture ambitions of breaking into the top half of the table, or whether it is wiser to keep looking over their shoulders – where, for the time being, their safety net amounts to a five-point cushion. At opposite ends of the table we find La Fiorita and San Giovanni. In the second fixture in Fiorentino, the Gialloblù start very much as favourites. After seven consecutive victories since their indoor defeat to Tre Fiori on the opening day, Gianni Galli’s side have set themselves the target of taking six points before their rest week. After that, the fixture list will present them with a top-of-the-table showdown against reigning champions Fiorentino. By the time they reach what will be the last game of the calendar year, the Rossoblù will have faced Murata and Virtus, an escalation in difficulty that will provide a stern test for Busignani and his team-mates. There will be two games on the artificial surface in Dogana tomorrow evening. The first will feature Cosmos and Tre Fiori. The latter arrive on the back of four recent wins, while Cosmos have collected just a single point over the same period. Bugli’s side have taken a huge confidence boost from the Titano Futsal Cup, where they stormed to an 8-1 win over Murata – albeit a Murata side without Felici and Moretti. Even though Cosmos have had no midweek commitments, the display of strength from the Fiorentino outfit should be more than a warning as they prepare for a tough assignment. Of tomorrow’s fixtures, the final game in Dogana will see Tre Penne take on Virtus. On paper, and in light of the table, it is a very even contest, with the Biancazzurri and the Neroverdi level in sixth place on 12 points so far. The Città club have built their tally over the last five games, winning four of them. Their only defeat in that run came against leaders La Fiorita – who had to work hard for a 3-2 success. Despite a summer exodus that cost them some key players, Pollini’s Virtus are putting together a campaign in line with expectations which – should they win tomorrow – would see them catch Murata in fifth place. There will be an indoor finale at the Multieventi Sport Domus to round off matchday nine. On the Serravalle court, Juvenes-Dogana and Libertas will face off. Both were in action and both were beaten in the first legs of the Titano Futsal Cup quarter-finals, and will now be measuring their respective form – which, in truth, looks rather similar. In terms of technical quality, the Biancorossazzurri appear to have a slight edge, but beware Libertas’ ability to stay in the game: Folgore had a taste of that in the cup, only overcoming the Granata 5-3. Here is the schedule for the ninth matchday of the 2023-24 Campionato Sammarinese futsal season:

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