FCS coach will be missing from Terni due to suspension. © Bordoni

FC Südtirol is expecting a hot situation

FC Südtirol recently won a point twice against the top teams Frosinone and Genoa. On Saturday, the white-reds face a completely different challenge.

04 May 2023

From the FCS Center in Rungg

It goes to table 14. Ternana Calcio. “They will give everything to secure relegation against us,” explained FCS coach Pierpaolo Bisoli on Thursday at the final PK in Rungg. Ternana is currently five points above the playout zone. The successful coach will sit in the stands at the away game in Terni for the fourth time this season. “I’ll find my place there somewhere. But I expect a heated atmosphere – also because of my past,” says Bisoli.

He believes that he will not be well received by the Ternana fans. Because of his past with local rival Perugia, he is – according to his own opinion – not a welcome guest in Terni: “In the derbies with Perugia it was always hot here. But I also had my experiences here as a Cesena trainer. I want to make it clear that I have nothing against the Ternana fans and I respect them. Still, I don't believe in a warm reception for me. I will have to endure insults and insults.”

“Because of my past, I don’t expect a warm welcome here” Pierpaolo Bisoli

Bisoli is someone who is generally loved in football Italy for his passion. But he is also someone who polarizes from time to time. For example, he clashed with opposing spectators in the stands of the San Nicola Stadium in Bari. That's why he was expelled from the stands by the stadium stewards in the final minutes.

A typical Serie B club

Saturday's opponent, Ternana Calcio, is not a big name in Italian professional football - even if the club from Umbria even played in Serie A in the 70s. A unique selling point of Ternana, however, are the club colors (red-green). These are extremely rare or even impossible to find even beyond national borders. In any case, Ternana has been a fixture in Serie B for more than 10 years (they were promoted back in 2012). In total, the club from the 110.000-inhabitant city of Terni (roughly the same size as Bolzano) played in the second Italian league for 28 seasons.

Ternana's club colors have a unique selling point.

Some people are certainly familiar with the club's coach: Cristiano Lucarelli. He had his most formative time as a striker for his hometown club Livorno. In total, Lucarelli scored 300 goals in 120 Serie A games. In addition, the former Livorno captain also played six times (three goals) for the national team. Lucarelli has been coaching Ternana for almost three years. This year he was temporarily released before being brought back at the end of February - typically Italian.

FCS is fighting for the semi-finals

FC Südtirol currently has 54 points and is therefore in fourth place. This fourth place - just like third place (currently occupied by Bari/4 points) - entitles them to move directly into the playoff semi-finals. The teams in fifth to eighth place have to go to the quarterfinals. The FCS is two points ahead of Parma in fifth place. So it will be an exciting fight until the end, with the White-Reds having the better cards in hand.

The remaining program of FC Südtirol and its competitors.

When asked if Bisoli would be happy with five points from the last three games, he replied: “Yes, I would agree to that. The teams behind them also make mistakes from time to time.” Bisoli wants to avoid a playoff duel with Venezia. After a miserable first half of the season, the Serie A relegated team is now no longer far from the playoff zone. According to Bisoli, that would be one of the most difficult tasks because Venezia basically has a team with strong individual players.

Serie B, matchday 36

Perugia – Cagliari (Friday, 20.30 p.m.)
Reggina – Como (Saturday, 14.00 p.m.)
Cosenza – Venice
Citadel – Benevento
Pisa – Frosinone
Modena – Bari
Ternana – FC South Tyrol
Genoa – Ascoli
Palermo – SPAL (Saturday, 16.15)
Parma – Brescia (Sunday, 16.15 p.m.)

The table