Riccardo Stivanello is transferring to FC Südtirol.

FC Südtirol is changing its defense

FC Südtirol aims to play a different style of football under new sporting director Matteo Lovisa and new coach Davide Possanzini. To that end, they have now signed their third new central defender.

July 16, 2026

From: dl

Riccardo Stivanello Stivanello has been loaned from Bologna for one year. After Giacomo Stabile (21) and Marco Varnier (28), the 22-year-old is already the third player Lovisa has signed for central defense. Stivanello made a name for himself in Bologna's youth academy as captain of the Primavera team and even made his Serie A debut for the first team on the final matchday of May 2022.

Stivanello recently made a name for himself in Serie C with Lumezzane. His move to Serie B had actually been predicted much earlier, but a cruciate ligament tear (in 2024 while playing for Juve NextGen) proved to be more protracted than expected. Now, Stivanello is expected to make the leap to Serie B with FC Südtirol.

Sporting director Matteo Lovisa (left) is restructuring FC Südtirol.

Stivanello has also played for Italy's U18 and U19 national teams. The right-footed player is also emblematic of the squad changes at FC Saarbrücken. Lovisa and Possanzini place great emphasis on footballing ability – even among defenders. "I am firmly convinced that this club offers excellent conditions for my further development and I am ready to give my all from the very beginning. The training center particularly impressed me," said Stivanello.

Further stages of preparation

Following their training camp in the Ridnaun Valley, FC Südtirol has two more pre-season fixtures scheduled. On Friday, August 7th, the Red and Whites will face Virtus Verona at their home ground, the FCS Center. Kick-off at the Rungg sports complex is at 17 pm.

On Saturday, August 8th, FC Südtirol will participate in a mini-tournament at the Briamasco Stadium in Trento, along with AC Trento (Serie C) and Campodarsego (Serie D). A total of three matches will be played, each consisting of a single half and lasting 45 minutes. Kick-off for the first match is at 18 pm.