League: a round of head‑to‑head clashes goes live on FIFA+

The undeniable technical growth of the Campionato Sammarinese continues to win plaudits and generate increasing appeal. The latest development has arrived: starting from matchday 23 of the competition, one game every round will also be streamed live and free of charge on FIFA+, FIFA’s OTT platform. This is an important goal achieved by the San Marino FA, which will provide even greater visibility for its domestic competitions and affiliated clubs. The aim is to guarantee equal exposure for every single club, even if the eight remaining rounds of the regular season make it difficult to fully achieve this target. However, those who do not appear on FIFA+ in the regular season will be guaranteed coverage in the play-offs. San Marino Academy v Juvenes-Dogana will have the honour of making the live debut on FIFA+, while also being broadcast on Titani.tv like all the other seven fixtures scheduled. Sunday’s match in Dogana (15:00) has all the hallmarks of a last chance for both sides, given that reaching the postseason would remain extremely complicated even in the event of victory. Coach Cecchetti’s touchline ban will come to an end this weekend, with Borasco, Mattia Ciacci and Marco Casadei joining him in the stands after also receiving suspensions from the sports judge. Marco Gasperoni is back in contention, while Juvenes-Dogana will certainly be without Rodriguez, who has been handed a two-match ban. At the same time, San Giovanni and Pennarossa will face off in Fiorentino (Fiorentino, 15:00). The Chiesanuova-based club are coming off their second league win of the season and, more generally, have benefited from the winter transfer window. Gega’s absence will give Dolci further food for thought, while his opposite number Tognacci will lay down the diktat not to underestimate the upcoming assignment. San Giovanni are fully in the race to finish in the top seven and from here to the end, the smallest details will make the difference: just ask Cosmos, currently eighth but only four points off fourth place. It is a sprint that will not involve Libertas and Faetano (Montecchio, 15:00), albeit for different reasons. Both are locked in a battle to reach the postseason via the preliminary round. That round, destined for the four sides placed between eighth and eleventh, currently has at least three clubs vying for the final two spots. Faetano are in the most favourable position, but while a draw would allow Ricchiuti’s men to preserve a five-point cushion over their nearest pursuers, Domagnano could also overtake them. The Giallorossi will feature in one of Saturday’s five early kick-offs, four of which are scheduled for 15:00. At the Ezio Conti in Dogana, Paolo Rossi’s men will go head-to-head with Cailungo, who have shown clear signs of improvement in recent weeks. The Borgo Maggiore club have no alternative to victory if they are to halve – or almost halve – the deficit to eleventh place, currently seven points above them. Among the direct clashes, there is also Fiorentino v Tre Penne (Fiorentino, 15:00). Fifth and seventh in the table respectively, they are separated by just a single point. Tarini’s side are going through a dip in form, highlighted by four games without a win. Their next opponents, by contrast, are coming off a comeback defeat to Tre Fiori, having previously put together three straight league victories. The Gialloblù could deliver a decisive blow to Murata’s hopes of climbing back into the top seven, after the Bianconeri suffered a harsh – and arguably undeserved – defeat to Virtus last time out. Petillo and his team-mates will look to bounce back, and to do so they will need to rediscover their feeling for goal, which has deserted them for 266 minutes. Girolomoni’s Tre Fiori, also helped by the demanding fixture list facing their direct rivals, are targeting a win that could allow them to take a significant step forward. That could also come at the expense of Folgore, who face a real test of maturity against league leaders Virtus. Unbeaten in 17 games and seemingly unbeatable, Bizzotto’s side are experiencing their least fluent spell of the season, despite what the results might suggest. Folgore’s freshness and attacking approach, built around the individual qualities of Pancotti and former Virtus man Raul Ura, will severely test the defence of the reigning champions of San Marino. In addition, the Acquaviva club must keep one eye on the medium-term schedule and manage their resources carefully, given that the midweek Coppa Titano round is also looming. Next Wednesday it will indeed be La Fiorita and Virtus taking centre stage, as they also meet in the first semi-final. The other will feature Tre Fiori and Tre Penne. Here too, one match per round will be streamed on FIFA+. The holders of the Coppa Titano – namely the Montegiardino side – are in no position to take risks or experiment in the league. In primis because their status as chasers leaves them with no room for slip-ups, and also because their next opponents are anything but straightforward. In Saturday’s 18:00 kick-off, scheduled in Montecchio, the Gialloblù will meet a Cosmos side packed with a considerable number of former La Fiorita players, and currently outside the top seven and under pressure to close the gap. All the conditions are in place for the upcoming matchday to be one to remember and potentially decisive in the pursuit of various season objectives. Here is the schedule for matchday 23 of the Campionato Sammarinese, which will be streamed live in full – and completely free of charge – on the Titani.tv platform.

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