Not much is missing, just the last step, for the fantastic boys of Mr. Cristian Soave’s Caldiero, to enter, as protagonists, in the history of the yellow and green club. If today they beat Mister Marco Sgrò’s (former Atalanta player) Villa Valle at Villa D’Almè, just outside Bergamo, they will win Serie C for the first time in their history. One matchday from the end of Group B of Serie D, the spa team leads the ranking first with 74 points, followed by just one point behind the famous Emilians of Piacenza. Destiny is firmly in the hands of president Filippo Berti’s team who today will also be interested in understanding what coach Stefano Rossini’s rival team will do when they face the difficult trip to Venegono Superiore, home to Varesina. We are certain that it will not have been a “normal” week for the entire yellow-green environment. Mister Cristian Soave had reiterated in the press room, seven days ago, after the ten against eleven game victory 3 to 2 at home against Ciserano Bergamo, that he was already thinking about the match against Villa Valle: “We are close to fulfilling a dream that can become reality. This club, my staff and the players, whatever happens, have done something incredible. For a team like mine, which certainly didn’t set out to win the tournament, it’s incredible to have four teams behind us who certainly invested much more than us.”
But even for president Filippo Berti, who with foresight and passion has been running Calcio Caldiero Terme for almost 20 years, we went beyond the predictions: “Our goal was to win a place in the play offs, they knew they had set up a good team team but already this goal, given our opponents, was difficult. The return of sporting director Fabio Brutti and coach Cristian Soave gave it an extra boost. Today will be another thrilling Sunday but whatever happens we are aware that we have had a great championship. If it were promotion it would still be a sporting miracle, we set up the team with a budget much lower than other teams in our group and we are a small town of only 8,000 souls and with little following, apart from this moment. Today we face the last match of the championship with the usual commitment and serenity, convinced that we have always given our best. If we win and reach the maximum objective, we rightfully enter the history of Veronese and Italian football.”
In the last three seasons the teams that won group B of Serie D, Seregno, San Giuliano City and Lumezzane, had given the impression from the beginning that they were the super favorites for first place. In this championship the group which was made up of clubs from three regions, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna, was certainly more balanced and with a season finale with more contenders for the leap into the Lega Pro. Piacenza, the only relegated from the series C, has always been considered the favourite. Piacenza had been missing from Serie D since the 2015-16 championship and then won with a record score of 95 points in 38 games played, undefeated at the Garilli stadium, their home field, and with only two away defeats. That Piacenza was coached by a winning coach like Arnaldo Franzini, the current one has changed hands by sacking Massimo Maccarone in the process and promoting Stefano Rossini to the first team from the Juniores. Only one result was available to the red and whites today in Venegono Superiore, victory, hoping for a misstep by the thermal team. President Marco Polenghi will be able to count on the goals of “King” Giorgio Recino, 37 years old and with over 200 goals in his career, top scorer in the group with 19 goals. An attack that makes use of the Argentine Facundo Augustin Marquez (30 years old) who last championship won Serie D in Sestri Levante where he was the top scorer in group A with 23 goals. An obstacle, that of Varesina, not easy to overcome today. Team led by Tuscan coach Marco Spilli, in their eleventh consecutive season and backed by solid ownership by the Di Caro family.
And what about the Caldiero? Lots of stuff. From the provincial capital city of Piacenza to the small Veronese village of Caldiero Terme, with only 7,958 inhabitants, there is an abyss. The Berti family team is making its supporters daydream. On the bench is the former striker Cristian Soave who, after having won the Serie D twice as a footballer, with Mantua and Pordenone, always reaching double figures, is looking for his first triumph in the amateur Serie A as a coach. Among the prominent players is the 39-year-old Moroccan striker Rachid Arma, who boasts over 500 games and more than 200 goals in his career, for him the pinnacle in Serie B with Torino, Cittadella and Vicenza. The flag and captain is the striker Lorenzo Zerbato, now in his seventh season in the yellow-green team and protagonist again this year in the championship with 15 goals. He referees the last championship match, Villa Villa vs Caldiero Terme, with kick-off at 3.00 pm, referee Davide Galiffi from the Alghero section, assistants Fabio Cantatore from Molfetta and Giacomo Scorrano from Lecce. The match is played at the Comunale stadium in via Ronco Basso in Villa D’Almè in the province of Bergamo. Given the concomitance of the “BGF Airport Granfondo” cycling event, we advise Caldiero fans to take the A4 motorway and take the exit for Dalmine and then continue to Villa D’Almè where there will be an opening to access the Center on foot Sports center about 500 meters away. A screen was also set up by the Municipality of Caldiero, in the Molinaroli auditorium, on the third floor of the elementary school with entrance from Piazzale Veneto, to be able to watch the match live.
38th and last day scheduled today at 3.00 pm:
Arconatese vs Clivense
Caravaggio vs Desenzano
Casatese vs Crema
Castellanzese vs Brusaporto
Folgore Caratese vs Club Milano
Real Calepina vs Ponte San Pietro
Tritum vs Pro Palazzolo
Varesina vs Piacenza
Villa Valle vs Caldiero Terme
Virtus Ciserano vs Legnano
Roberto Pintore for www.pianeta-calcio.it
