League: post-season to be decided in the next ten days, dates now confirmed

With five rounds remaining in the regular season and three matchdays scheduled over the next ten days, the finish line leading to the play-offs and preliminary round is now clearly in sight. Leaders Tre Penne are one step away from mathematically booking their place in the quarter-finals, while La Fiorita are not far behind. The race for fourth place is wide open, while at the bottom Juvenes-Dogana are almost out of contention. Murata and San Giovanni will have to fend off Cailungo’s attempt at a comeback; Cailungo are hoping to drag Domagnano and Fiorentino back into the scrap – starting with a potential win on Saturday in Dogana against the Rossoblù. Malandri will have to do without Baizan, while his opposite number Protti is forced to renounce first-choice goalkeeper Gallinetta as well as Liverani. All three have been suspended and will have to watch from the stands as they urge their team-mates towards a crucial result. The match will be played at the Ezio Conti in Dogana, where Fiorentino will be able to settle even for a draw. However, Malandri’s footballing philosophy and the players at his disposal do not exactly point to a cautious game plan. Cailungo, four points off twelfth place and seven from ninth – currently occupied by Fiorentino – could, with a victory, ignite a thrilling final sprint. And in next week’s midweek round, Protti’s men will take on Domagnano. Naturally, every team placed between these two direct rivals will be cheering for Fiorentino. Starting with Domagnano themselves, who face Folgore. A lot has changed since mid-September, when Mancini’s and Lepri’s sides met on the opening day of the league. The Wolves edged it back then thanks to a strike from Mattia Ceccaroli. Today, Folgore appear to have rediscovered their solidity, and the arrival of Docente has added strength and experience to an already talented attack featuring Fedeli and Dormi. It could be a decisive weekend for the reigning champions to get properly back into the race for fourth place, given the fixtures involving the other four sides competing for the same target. The other games scheduled for Saturday afternoon are no less intriguing, and could prove decisive in the race for direct access to the play-offs. Last season’s runners-up La Fiorita will meet Libertas at the Crescentini in Fiorentino without Loiodice, who is suspended. For the Granata, this is perhaps the last chance, or close to it, given they are five points off fourth place with three other teams in between. Equally crucial for the same goal is the clash in Montecchio between Pennarossa and Faetano, with both sides effectively playing for their chance to reach the Top Four – they are separated by just four points. Andy Selva’s men are currently fourth in the table thanks to a better head-to-head goal difference than Virtus – level with them on 40 points and preparing to face leaders Tre Penne. Girolomoni’s side intend to seize this opportunity to close in on those ahead of them. It goes without saying that a defeat would leave the Gialloblù seven points adrift of the play-off places, almost certainly ending Palazzi’s hopes. Which brings us to Virtus v Tre Penne. Bizzotto will come up against his recent past, looking to collect vital points to keep Neroverdi ambitions of direct play-off qualification intact. Even if that were not to happen, finishing as high as possible in the table will still be important to secure advantages in terms of draws and seeding – which come into play if ties are level on aggregate in the post-season two-legged affairs. At the moment, five teams are separated by just five points as they battle for fourth place. Tre Penne are merely waiting for the mathematical certainty of a play-off spot, after which their only concern will be to stay top until the final day – on which Ceci’s men will in fact sit out. While finishing first or second in the regular season does not provide additional benefits in terms of progressing in the event of repeated draws in the knock-out phase, it could still be crucial for the pairings and allocation in the main draw that will take shape at the quarter-final stage. In the meantime, a win for the City club would guarantee their play-off place and virtually secure one of the top two positions. With Cosmos idle, their cousins Juvenes-Dogana will go all in in the six-pointer against San Giovanni, to be played on Sunday in Fiorentino. A ten-point gap to fourth from bottom is daunting, as is the two-match suspension of Muccioli. A win over San Giovanni, however, could reopen everything – especially if Tre Fiori were to beat Murata. It should also be remembered that the Bianconeri will have their rest day on the penultimate matchday, and that the schedule still features at least four more direct clashes between the sides currently ahead of Amati’s team. Tre Fiori want to take advantage of the tricky fixtures faced by their closest pursuers and open up a gap to fifth place – effectively placing a serious mortgage on a play-off berth. Should they succeed on Sunday in Montecchio, they would freeze Murata’s points tally at 24 – the only team among those involved in the race for the preliminary round who still have a rest day to come. Level with them in fourth from bottom are San Giovanni, who however boast a better overall goal difference than Achille Fabbri’s side – against whom they have drawn both league meetings. In short, many verdicts are still pending and will likely remain so for at least another week, setting up a gripping and emotional end to the regular season. Here is the schedule for the rescheduled fixtures from the 16th matchday:

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In the meantime, the Football Federation has also confirmed the dates for the final stages of the Campionato Sammarinese and the Coppa Titano. The cup will come first, with semi-finals and final to be played within the space of a week: the first and second legs of the semi-finals will be held on 24 and 27 April, while the trophy will be decided on Saturday 30 April, with kick-off at 20:45 (click here for the Coppa Titano fixtures). It is worth recalling that in the Coppa Titano, unlike what may happen in the league post-season, if the aggregate score is level at the end of normal time in the second leg, the tie will go to extra-time and, if necessary, penalties.

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In the league play-offs, that scenario will apply solely and exclusively to the title decider and the third-place play-off. All previous rounds will definitely be settled after 180 minutes of football, played over two legs. The play-offs will start on 3 and 5 May with the preliminary round, involving the teams that finish the regular season between fifth and twelfth place. The pairings will be automatic, matching up the teams at opposite ends of that group (5th v 12th) and gradually closing the gap until the eighth- and ninth-placed sides meet. If the aggregate score is level over the two legs, the team with the higher regular-season finish will progress. This rule will remain in force for the quarter-finals (11–15 May) and the semi-finals (18–22 May), when the top four sides from the regular season enter the fray. Once again, the draw will be automatic: the regulations state that the best team from the regular season must face, among the four qualifiers from the preliminary round, the one with the lowest league placing. And so on until the full quarter-final bracket is formed, based on a tennis-style draw in which first and fourth (for the sake of example, today Tre Penne and Pennarossa) would share the same half. The title decider is scheduled for Thursday 26 May 2022 at 20:45.

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