League: Murata face Fiorentino in bid to leave bottom spot

The midweek cup tie brought back a focused and, above all, highly determined Tre Penne. Now Ceci’s men will have to show that same determination in the league as well, with the aim of immediately erasing the defeat suffered against Cosmos and resuming their push towards the top. The summit is currently six points away from the Biancoazzurri, and in that section of the table Cosmos and Tre Fiori have also recently “inserted themselves”, taking advantage – Cosmos directly so – of their rivals’ slip. None of them, however, are yet within one win of La Fiorita, who keep getting it right every time, cup campaign aside. The league leaders will take on San Giovanni on Sunday in a match in which Zafferani will be missing for Montegiardino’s side, sidelined by a disciplinary ban. Chasing a fifth league win in a row, La Fiorita face a San Giovanni team who have not won in two rounds and are looking for a prestigious result to grow in self-belief but also to climb the table, where they currently sit exactly in mid‑table. The game will be played in Domagnano; Beltrano will referee. As mentioned, Tre Penne are in need of an immediate reaction. The cup comeback was a good way to launch themselves towards their final fixture of 2022. Ceci’s side are hoping to find a better league position under the Christmas tree than the one they were forced to slide into after last weekend’s defeat, and the first goal is naturally to get back to three points. Standing in their way, the Biancoazzurri will find a Folgore side who have picked up points again in the last two rounds but are still struggling in choppy waters. Ceci will be without the suspended Righini. Tre Penne will be in action on Saturday, just like Virtus, who after two consecutive draws want to close out the calendar year with a win, hoping it might also bring immediate benefits in the standings. The cup comeback against Tre Fiori has certainly fired up Bizzotto’s men, who now face a Faetano side coming off a comprehensive win over Cailungo and who trail the Neroverdi by six points in the table. Virtus, who are chasing a tenth league match in a row without defeat, will be without Ciacci. The other Saturday fixture will see Libertas take on Pennarossa. Here too, there is a lot of cup adrenaline to be poured into the league. After knocking out La Fiorita, the Granata are looking for a win that would also take them above their opponents in the table, while hoping Virtus beat Faetano. However, Mingucci and Olcese will be missing through suspension. On the other side, Pennarossa, who by drawing with Fiorentino halted a three‑match losing streak, have by no means solved their run of poor results. A return to victory – something that has been missing since 17 September – is almost an absolute must for the Chiesanuova side, who remain perilously close to the dividing line between those who will have opportunities beyond the regular season and those who will not. Besides La Fiorita–San Giovanni, Sunday’s league programme also offers a very interesting head‑to‑head between Murata and Fiorentino, level on points at the foot of the table. The meaning of the clash is clear: whoever loses stays where they are, whoever wins can start a revival. The third way, a draw, looks of little use to either. Fiorentino come off that draw with Pennarossa and are chasing their second league win of the season, while Murata, freshly knocked out of the cup and with two wins so far (and no draws, just like La Fiorita), are hoping for a positive result in the league, something they have been missing for seven rounds. For the Bianconeri, Carlo Valentini will be absent through suspension. It is also a run of seven matches for Cosmos, who, however, in this spell have not lost but instead have consistently picked up points. Last weekend brought the Gialloverdi a prestigious win along with a double leap in the standings that saw them shoot from fourth to second place. Finishing 2022 in style – and protecting second place – is the main objective for Berardi and his men, who face a Cailungo side that failed to build on their victory over Murata. So Protti’s team are chasing a reaction after the heavy defeat to Faetano, although they must do so against one of the most dangerous sides in the entire Single Group. Cailungo’s hopes of an upset are also shared by Tre Fiori, who after their rest week are preparing for their final pre‑Christmas fixture against Juvenes‑Dogana. Selva’s side are just one point off second place and have the same margin over fourth. They will be up against a mid‑table side coming off a stutter in the league (after a win and a draw) and, above all, a painful comeback suffered in the cup which cost them elimination from the competition. Manuel Amati will be without the suspended Meluzzi. The game will be played in Acquaviva. Domagnano have a bye. As always, all the weekend’s league fixtures will be available live on Titani.TV. Here is the schedule for Matchday 13 of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, the last before the Christmas break: Click here for the updated standings

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