League: Tre Penne’s perfect start put to the La Fiorita test

The first leg of the Coppa Titano Round of 16 did nothing to tarnish the numbers of Tre Penne, still the only team in San Marino to have won every game of the season so far - and without conceding a single goal. Berardi’s side – with their coach back on the bench after suspension precisely for the cup tie – will be the protagonists of the undisputed big match of Matchday 4, when they take on La Fiorita, one of the former clubs of the Biancazzurri coach. Likewise, Stefano Ceci, now in charge at Montegiardino, will also be facing his own brilliant and very recent past. La Fiorita and Tre Penne are in fact closer than the table suggests, which is inevitably affected by the five-point deduction handed to the Gialloblù. The stats say both sides are unbeaten this season and that both are extremely effective in front of goal, given that La Fiorita boast the league’s best attack (10 goals) and Tre Penne the second (9 goals), level with Domagnano. In short, more than enough reasons to expect fireworks from the clash scheduled for Sunday at 15:00 at the Acquaviva Stadium. Staying with the late fixtures – four in total – the meeting between Cosmos and Virtus, to be played in Montecchio, also at 15:00, is another major attraction. With their Coppa Titano victory over San Giovanni, Andy Selva’s team have finally kick-started their season, but are still chasing their first league win, having so far collected just a single point from three games. Virtus, on the other hand, did not play in the cup and will therefore be able to count on fresher legs. The reigning champions – unbeaten in the league along with Tre Penne, Tre Fiori, Domagnano and La Fiorita – are targeting a third straight win, a necessary step to keep the pressure on joint leaders Tre Penne and Tre Fiori, or even to overtake them should either slip up.

Speaking of Tre Fiori, Girolomoni’s side were the most recent opponents of Pennarossa, who with the cup draw rediscovered some belief after three straight defeats. Not only that: they also scored their first goal of the season, and that may well have acted as a spark for the Biancorossi’s attack, the weakest in the league together with Cosmos. Standing in the way of Adrian Ricchiuti’s men will be Faetano, currently on 3 points thanks to their opening-day win, followed in the league by two defeats and another, more recent one in the Coppa Titano. In short, both teams go into Sunday’s 15:00 kick-off at the Domagnano sports ground sharing the same ambition: to change gear. At the same time Murata and Folgore will also face off, at the Ezio Conti in Dogana. After getting back to winning ways against Faetano and then earning a good draw in the cup against La Fiorita, Oscar Lasagni’s side are looking for continuity against the current bottom club in the Single Group, who for their part can draw energy and confidence from the impressive midweek win over Faetano – Murata’s first victory of the season – even as they remain tasked with the tough climb back up from their points deduction, which rose to 8 after the draw two rounds ago.

As for the Saturday fixtures, there will be two kick-off slots. The later one, at 18:30, features just two teams, Cailungo and Juvenes-Dogana, facing each other in Acquaviva. The Rossoverdi are in good form, a run that continued in the Coppa Titano; they are chasing a second win of the season against a side, the Biancorossoazzurri, coming off back-to-back meetings with the two Fiorentino clubs: the first, against Tre Fiori, brought their first defeat of the campaign, while the second, against Fiorentino, gave the Serravalle outfit a huge adrenaline boost as they came back from 0-2 down. This will be, in every sense, a direct clash, as both Cailungo and Juvenes-Dogana sit together on 4 points. There are three matches scheduled for 15:00. At Montecchio, Libertas will play their third consecutive derby after the double header against Cailungo. San Giovanni, their opponents, currently look down on the Granata, but only thanks to the single point that separates the two “cousins”, both still seeking their first win of the season. San Marino Academy are also yet to experience their first full celebration. For Di Maio’s side, Matchday 4 means facing another of the leaders: after Tre Penne, to whom they narrowly lost a week ago, they now take on Tre Fiori, who, like the City side, have maximum points but are coming off their first minor slip of the season – the cup draw with Pennarossa. This game will be played in Domagnano, while in Acquaviva there will be a meeting between two teams wounded in midweek, albeit to different degrees. Fiorentino – who had been 2-0 up against Juvenes-Dogana – can at least count on a draw that leaves everything to play for in the return leg, whereas Domagnano must deal with a 0-3 that already looks very much like a verdict. The league, however, is smiling on the Wolves, who so far have put together two wins and a draw and are therefore riding high in the table, level with Virtus. Costantini’s team are not far behind either: they lost on the opening day but then bounced back with a win and a draw, a run that now allows them to be within striking distance of victory over their opponents on the day – and not only them.

Here is the full fixture list for Matchday 4, with a reminder that all games will be streamed live – free of charge – on the Titani.TV platform, while Cosmos – Virtus will also be available on FIFA+ :