Fixtures (09-10)

By: Dan | July 29th, 2009

Here is the calendar for the upcoming season… and I will not consider myself a homer when I feel that we have a legitimate shot at promotion.

I would have liked to color code these fixtures in terms of difficulty if WordPress would let me. Maybe I need to be more of a hacker to figure that out. But as I was saying, I am excited for this season… I like what we’ve done so far in the market. The signing of Mario Cassano was made official, while Puggioni is being sent in return to Piacenza. Is this an upgrade? Is it 50/50? Or maybe even a downgrade? I don’t know anything about Cassano, but I guess we’ll see.

And let me just say I was shocked and appalled to read the news of a possible trade with Livorno that would see Emil Hallfredsson sent away for some scrub defender. I might just slit my wrists if that happens.

Anyway.. without further ado, here is the schedule. I’ll familiarize myself with these teams as the season goes on, but I provided just a little tidbit along with each:

(Aug 22-Jan 16) @ Cesena – Not an easy open to the season on the road. Cesena fans are celebrating their promotion from Lega Pro… and they have the recent Serie B experience, having been there just a couple seasons ago. They brought in a lot of good young talent from some of Italy’s top clubs (Pedrell, Inter; Castiglia, Juventus; Erba, Roma).

(Aug 29-Jan 30) Padova – One of Italy’s historic clubs. Haven’t been in Serie B for almost a decade though. Managed to bring in Vincenzo Italiano from Chievo who has haunted Reggina in the past with multiple goals.

(Sep 6-Feb 6) Vicenza – Mid table team last year looking to return to the top flight where they resided for many years. Have a great scoring threat in Saša Bjelanović.

(Sep 12-Feb 13) @ Mantova – Another mid table team. They’ve gone through a lot of coaching changes and failed to really make the step to the next level. Probably will stay in the middle of the pack.

(Sep 10-Feb 20) Cittadella – Not a team we really have to sweat over. Barely escaped relegation last year. Seems like we’ve had a close relationship with them in recent seasons, loaning them the occasional player. Leonardi Pettinari and Ivan Castiglia will both be on their team this year and will be looking to prove their worth when they meet us.

(Sep 22-Feb 27) @ Frosinone – Mid table Serie B team, not likely to be a promotion contender but could surprise us. They’ve made a lot of moves this summer and are a pretty unpredictable team heading into the season.

(Sep 26-Mar 6) Piacenza – A strong team capable of finishing near the top of the pack. I’ll be looking forward to this one when Mario Cassano and Christian Puggioni meet their former teammates.

(Oct 3-Mar 13) @ Modena – Middle to lower tier team.. haven’t done a lot in terms of strengthening their squad. Biggest signing was bringing in Romanian Cristian Daminuţă on loan from Inter. They will probably be safe from relegation this year.

(Oct 11-Mar 20) @ Lecce – In the same boat as us and will be hungry to jump right back to Serie A. Although they have lost SO much more than than we have. Players like Papa Waigo, Tribocchi, Castillo, Caserta, Konan, Antunes, Caserta, etc. etc. etc. are all gone. They might have a tough time.

(Oct 17-Mar 23) Ancona – Survived last season in a relegation playoff. This is going to be another interesting one in terms of former players. Simone Rizzato, who played an important role in their survival, while be wearing Amaranto now. Meanwhile, Ancona have a couple of familiar names – Francesco Cosenza and Kris Thackray. Ancona striker Salvatore Mastrunzio was one of our main targets this summer, but his price tag was too high.

(Oct 24-Mar 27) @ Torino – A main promotion contender along with us.. not much I have to say about Torino that’s not already known. But you know that Walter Novellino will be hungry for wins over the club that dismissed him TWICE in the last couple of years.

(Oct 31-Apr 2) Salernitana – A team that keeps bouncing between Serie B and C. Probably will be in a relegation dogfight come May. Main attraction of this fixture is the return of our captain and Reggina idol: Ciccio Cozza. It will be sad to see him playing out his twilight years in a Salerno shirt.

(Nov 7-Apr 10) @ Empoli – Another promotion contender, having reached the playoffs last year. Won’t be easy to travel up north in November to play them. But comparing the two teams side by side, we are no doubt superior.

(Nov 15-Apr 13) Sassuolo – Surpsied everyone with 60 points and nearly obtaining a playoff spot in their first Serie B season ever. Will the magic continue? Not on our watch.

(Nov 21-Apr 17) @ Crotone – So excited that Crotone got promoted to Serie B this year! Because of sorry Messina and their financial troubles, we have been without a true derby the past couple of years.. But now we will have an all-Calabrian battle on our hands! Will be great drama this year.

(Nov 28-Apr 14) Brescia – Dangerous team that just missed out on promotion last year. Although they’ve lost some talent (Okaka Chuka, Baronio) they remain one of the favorites this year. Former Reggina midfielder Baiocco was a decent signing from Catania, and Caracciolo is always one of the top hitmen in Serie B.

(Dec 5-May 1) @ Ascoli – Struggled last year, had a one-point penalty, but I think they could bounce back big this year. Bringing in Arturo Lupoli greatly helped their cause.

(Dec 12-May 8 ) Triestina – Despite a good season last year, haven’t been in Serie A since the 1950’s. Last season’s top half finish might have been a bit of an aberration. They’ve certainly had a busy off-season and will be looking prove the naysayers wrong once again.

(Dec 19-May 15) @ Gallipoli – Woohoo the Cinderella story of Serie B. Newly promoted and enjoying great success for a team that was founded just a decade ago. I’m glad to be playing them late in the season when 3 points might be crucial.

(Jan 5-May 23) Grosseto – First game after the winter break.. surprisingly got to the promotion playoffs last year. Could be a tricky one late in the season if we’re both in the hunt for promotion.

(Jan 9-May 30) @ Albinoleffe – Finally we come to the team with the most fun name to say. Probably another mid-table year, but they that is consistently just one step away from getting to the next level. Made a great signing in picking up veteran defender Luigi Sala. Could they contend for promotion this year?

No real tough stretches, but I’d say the bulk of our competition comes in the middle.. not too late or early (Torino, Empoli, Lecce, Brescia). So let’s hope that means a fast start and an easy finish!

Quick Predictions!
Promotion: Reggina, Torino, Ascoli (Yeah I said it)
Relegation: Cittadella, Gallipoli (apologies to my beloved south of italy), Salernitana
Capocannoniere: EMILIANO BONAZZOLI. WOOOOOOOOOO!