Titano Futsal Cup: Round of 16 kicks off tomorrow

The new Titano Futsal Cup is ready for kick-off. No longer a tennis-style bracket, but instead two-legged ties starting from the Round of 16, from which seven teams will advance to join Murata – the reigning champions and recipients of a bye – in the Final Eight. From this stage of the competition onwards, it’s all straight knockouts through to the final.

On paper, the most finely balanced tie is probably Libertas v Faetano: the meeting between Levani’s and Selva’s sides – intriguingly, the two coaches who have led the Under-19 Futsal National Team in its history – is scheduled in Domagnano at 20:15. At the same time, but in Acquaviva, it will be Fiorentino v Pennarossa. Both are coming off a league defeat and will be eager to bounce back immediately. The same goes for Juvenes-Dogana, recently beaten by Libertas and now set to face Tre Penne: Penserini’s team are one of four sides with a 100% record in the title race.

The second set of fixtures on the same pitches will include, among others, Tre Fiori v Domagnano. The Wolves will be able to count on an early-week rest day in the league to best prepare for the Gialloblù – currently bottom of the table after two outings. Cosmos v Cailungo will be played in Dogana: after their recent goal spree, Franchino’s men will need to keep their focus high. The Rossoverdi also did well against Murata, who only edged the recent head-to-head. Rounding off the 21:45 kick-offs is the clash in Acquaviva between La Fiorita and San Giovanni. After winning their seasonal debut against Faetano (2-1), the Rossoneri narrowly lost to Folgore; now comes a far sterner test, namely a meeting with a serious contender for the top spots.

The only indoor match will complete the schedule, with kick-off not before 22:00 on the court of the Acquaviva sports hall. There the first leg between Folgore and Virtus is on the programme, with D’Amico and Michelotti both looking for further confirmation.

Below is the full schedule for the first legs of the Titano Futsal Cup Round of 16: