League: Virtus and La Fiorita aim to pull away

A packed schedule for San Marino’s clubs, who after the midweek round are back on the pitch this weekend for Matchday 18 of the Campionato Sammarinese. An apparently straightforward round for Virtus and La Fiorita, who lead the table and are looking to stretch the gap to the chasing pack. The leaders from Acquaviva take the field tomorrow at 15:00 in Montecchio against Juvenes-Dogana. It’s a golden spell for Bizzotto’s Neroverdi: eleven wins in a row, best attack and best defence. The only sour note for the green-and-blacks is the suspended Loris Tortori: the striker was sent off on Tuesday against Domagnano and the Sports Judge has handed him a three-match ban (in addition to Juvenes-Dogana, he will miss the clashes with Fiorentino and Cosmos). Defender Roberto Sabato will also be unavailable. Virtus therefore face a Juvenes-Dogana side coming off a fine win – their third of the season – on Wednesday against Libertas, which lifted them to 13th place and back in the play-off hunt. La Fiorita, meanwhile, will play on Sunday at 15:00 in Montecchio against Faetano. Ceci’s side, second in the table and three points behind Virtus, start as clear favourites: the Gialloblu are on a run of four straight victories and are the only unbeaten team left in the league. It is a difficult period for Ricchiuti’s Gialloblu, coming off a 5-0 defeat to Tre Penne in midweek and three losses in a row. While Virtus and La Fiorita appear to be in a league of their own (their head‑to‑head is scheduled for 16 February), the table is very tight behind the green-and-blacks and the yellow-and-blues. In third place (ten points off the summit) are Folgore, unbeaten in six. Lasagni’s men will be on the pitch on Sunday at 15:00 in Fiorentino against San Giovanni. The match at the “Crescentini” promises to be very interesting, as the Rossoneri, thanks to their midweek win over Fiorentino, are now eighth. There are two players suspended: for Tognacci’s Rossoneri, Stefano Sartini is out, while Folgore will be without Riccardo Turrisi. From San Giovanni to the aforementioned Fiorentino, who are eager to get back to winning ways after two defeats. Tarini’s side, now fourth and one point behind Folgore, will face Cecchetti’s Academy on Saturday at 18:00 (match in Montecchio). The Titans are on a similar run, as like the Rossoblu they have gone two games without a win. Moreover, the Biancoazzurri are currently outside the play-off spots, although only five points off the crucial 11th place, currently occupied by Faetano. Just one point behind Fiorentino are their “cousins” Tre Fiori. Girolomoni’s Gialloblu take on Libertas tomorrow at 15:00 on the artificial pitch in Fiorentino. The club from Borgo Maggiore are going through a tough spell (their last win dates back to 6 October), but in the reverse fixture the Granata edged out the Gialloblu. Libertas coach Samuele Buda will be without the suspended Osayande (8 goals for the Granata forward, their top scorer). Also in action on Saturday are Andy Selva’s Cosmos: the change in the Gialloverdi dugout has not yet produced the desired effect (just one point from two games, and they are 16 points off the top), but the Serravalle side’s roster is full of quality and capable of turning things around. Standing in the Gialloverdi’s way will be Cailungo who – despite sitting second from bottom – have collected 7 points from their last four outings. The only player suspended is Cosmos’ Maggioli. Kick-off is tomorrow at 15:00 at the "Ezio Conti" in Dogana. Just ahead of Cosmos, in seventh, are a resurgent Tre Penne: aside from last week’s defeat to La Fiorita, Berardi’s team are flying, with four wins in their last five. The side from Città will face Pennarossa: Dolci’s men remain bottom of the table, but their last‑gasp equaliser against Folgore on Wednesday (with the Falciano club two goals up) has given them a boost. The Tre Penne vs Pennarossa clash is scheduled for Sunday evening at 18:00 in Montecchio. Like Tre Penne, Murata are also in good shape. Camillini’s side have won two in a row (they now occupy a comfortable ninth place) and do not want to stop. The Bianconeri’s opponents are Domagnano. Still without suspended coach Paolo Rossi on the bench, the Giallorossi are fully in the play-off race (they are tenth) and must watch their backs from the many close rivals in the standings. The match will be played in Domagnano on Sunday afternoon at 15:00. Finally, here is the full schedule – with kick-off times and venues – for Matchday 18 of the league, with all matches to be broadcast live via streaming with full commentary on the Titani.tv platform:

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