League: San Giovanni threat looms over Virtus title bid

With 180 minutes to go in an exciting Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, Virtus and La Fiorita will battle it out from a distance for the 2023-24 title. On Matchday 29 – the penultimate round of the regular season – scheduled for this weekend, the Neroverdi and the Gialloblu will both be in action on Sunday at 15:00. Out in front are still Bizzotto’s side, who at Montecchio will need to watch out for the San Giovanni threat. The Rossoneri are in excellent form, with five wins on the spin, and are chasing points to secure seventh place, which guarantees direct access to the play-offs. In the reverse fixture – played in a downpour at Montecchio and the first match of the new year – it was Tognacci’s boys who took the lead through Stefano Sartini, before a second-half brace from Nicola Angeli delivered all three points to the Neroverdi. For the Rossoneri, captain Boldrini will miss out (suspended), while Bizzotto will have a full squad at his disposal. One thing is certain: Virtus have their destiny in their own hands. Two points clear of La Fiorita, two wins would make the Neroverdi champions. One might even be enough if the Montegiardino club fail to win on Sunday. But the most sensational scenario would be a tie on points: in that case, there would be a one-off title play-off at the San Marino Stadium, already scheduled for Thursday 25 April. As mentioned, Virtus are currently favourites for the title, but Manfredini’s La Fiorita must win at all costs and hope for a slip-up from their rivals. The Gialloblu will be on the artificial pitch in Acquaviva on Sunday – again at 15:00 – against Domagnano. The Giallorossi are already certain of a spot in the preliminary play-off round but are still looking to improve their final regular-season position. The clash between La Fiorita and Domagnano will be officiated by a Maltese trio, concluding the referee exchange between the Titano and the Mediterranean island that began last weekend: Darryl Agius will take charge of the match, assisted by David Castillo and Vasil Vasilev (Beltrano will be the fourth official). Two key players will also miss out – due to suspension – one on each side: for La Fiorita, Aziz Niang will be absent, fresh off his BKN301 MVP of the Month award for March and the Gialloblu’s driving force thanks to his goals, while for the Giallorossi Dario Merendino will be unavailable. Should the Gialloblu win, the title race will go right down to the very last matchday of the regular season: La Fiorita will face Cailungo, while Virtus will take on Tre Penne. Two other noteworthy fixtures are also scheduled for Sunday. Besides the battle at the top, the fight for the coveted seventh place is still very much alive: Juvenes-Dogana and San Giovanni are both on 42 points, but the club from the castello of Serravalle currently hold the edge thanks to the head-to-head record. Slightly further back, but not yet out of it, are Fiorentino on 38 points. Juvenes-Dogana will take on Cailungo, who are already out of the play-off race and certain to finish the season in the penultimate spot. Amati’s side are naturally favourites, coming off two consecutive wins, but will have to do without their man in the best form: Gianmaria Borghini is suspended, a player who both scores and creates chances, while for Cailungo goalkeeper Morelli will also be missing. Kick-off is Sunday at 15:00 in Domagnano. The fourth Sunday fixture – again at 15:00 – will see Fiorentino face Faetano. At the “Federico Crescentini” in Fiorentino, Camillini’s Rossoblu absolutely must win to keep their hopes of seventh place alive. The situation is very different for Faetano, effectively out of the post-season race. While everything of major importance in this season finale is set for Sunday, the previous day will still offer four interesting matches. Standing out above all is Tre Fiori-Tre Penne (Acquaviva, 15:00), another appetiser of what awaits us in the play-offs, which will award a European spot. After last Sunday’s defeat, Stefano Ceci’s team are now certain to relinquish the title they won last year. Moreover, the Biancoazzurri are guaranteed to finish the regular season in third place, even if they end level on points with Cosmos (Tre Penne hold the better head-to-head record). De Falco’s Tre Fiori, meanwhile, are aiming – at least – for sixth place: currently the Gialloblu are seventh on 53 points (level with Murata, with the Bianconeri ahead on head-to-head) and have won two of their last three. As on Sunday, the match in Acquaviva will be three-quarters officiated by Maltese match officials: David Castillo and Vasil Vasilev will run the lines for referee Laurentiu Ilie, with Darryl Agius acting as fourth official. Here too there are two suspensions: Giacomo Zafferani for Tre Penne and prolific striker Nicolò Micchi for Tre Fiori. On paper, Murata have a favourable fixture as they face San Marino Academy (Montecchio, 15:00), looking to defend sixth place from Tre Fiori’s assault. Angelini’s Bianconeri – whose coach will not be on the bench due to suspension – are in excellent shape, thanks to five wins in their last six outings (their only defeat coming against league leaders Virtus). It is a tougher spell for Cecchetti’s Titani, who are on a run of four straight defeats. Cecchetti will also be without suspended goalkeeper Matteo Battistini. For the Academy too, the play-offs are now a distant prospect, but Cecchetti and his players want to finish their first season in the league in the best possible way. On Saturday Cosmos and Libertas will also be in action, two of this season’s biggest disappointments: the Gialloverdi, currently fourth, produced an excellent run in mid-season after a difficult start, but lacked the decisive spark to challenge for the title. They will certainly try in the play-offs to repeat last year’s achievement of qualifying for Europe. Libertas, on the other hand, had hoped at least to reach the preliminary round, but have instead been out of the running for several weeks now. Sperindio’s side are going through a crisis, with just two wins in their last fourteen games, a run that has left them third from bottom. Kick-off is again at 15:00 in Fiorentino. In Domagnano, meanwhile, Pennarossa and Folgore will take centre stage. Lasagni’s side are already guaranteed a spot in the preliminary play-off round (the two ties will be played on Wednesday 24 April at 20:45 in Montecchio and Acquaviva), although their final league position is still to be determined. Dolci’s Biancorossi, by contrast, will finish bottom after a troubled campaign, but will be eager to bounce back next season. Finally, here is the Matchday 29 schedule of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, which will be broadcast live in full with Italian commentary on TITANI.TV:

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