Sudtirol-Bari is a match valid for the first leg of the Serie B playoff semifinals and is played on Monday at 20:30: odds, predictions, TV and streaming.
The playoff semi-finals in Serie B are underway. The number of teams that can still aspire to play in the top flight next year has been reduced to four after the preliminary rounds.
Pietropaolo Bisoli’s Sudtirol emerged unscathed, snuffing out the dream of Pippo Inzaghi’s Reggina (1-0) in the one-off match played last Friday in Bolzano. The Altoatesini, always very organised in the non-possession phase, withstood the assaults of the amaranthos – eight shots on goal against one – finding the decisive goal a few seconds from the final whistle with Casiraghi, on the only chance they had during the ninety minutes. It was a true fairytale for the Biancorossi, who had never set foot in Serie B before this year and whose initial objective was to bring home a quiet salvation. Since the arrival of the experienced coach on the bench – who arrived in September after a disastrous start – Sudtirol have started to rack up a long series of positive results and until the last day of the regular season they remained in the top four.
Bari in the final with two draws
Now another sporting miracle will be needed to trip the much better-ranked Bari, third in the league behind Frosinone and Genoa.
The rules of the semi-finals change, however, as they are played in a return leg. The best-placed team – in this case the Apulian team – has a significant advantage and will advance to the final in the event of a draw in the aggregate result, without having to play extra time and penalties. It goes without saying that Sudtirol will have to win at least one to eliminate Michele Mignani’s men. The Galletti, also newly-promoted, have gone well beyond expectations despite failing to keep up with the first two and together with Cagliari and Parma are the big favourites in these playoffs. One draw and one victory is the balance of the clashes with the Alto Adige in the regular season. The last clash dates back to last April, with the Pugliese prevailing thanks to a Morachioli goal in the dying minutes.
Sudtirol-Bari: latest line-up news
Bisoli will have to do without Celli and Davì, as well as ex-team-mate Masiello, who suffered a dislocated elbow at the end of the match against Reggina. The former Cesena and Cosenza coach will not change tactically: he will re-propose his 4-4-2 with the attacking pair formed by Mazzocchi and Odogwu. On the two flanks Rover and Casiraghi.
On the other side, Mignani will recover Folorunsho and Maiello but only the former will take the field from the ‘1. Ceter, Pucino, Bosisio and Ceter will not be available.
The Prediction
Bari are qualitatively superior to Sudtirol and proved it in the league, but they should not make the mistake of underestimating Bisoli’s team. The Altoatesini, unlike the Pugliese, know they have nothing to lose and will play their usual defensive game, aiming first of all at not conceding goals. Bari have also excelled in the non-possession phase this year, which is why we expect a match of less than three goals in total.
The likely line-up for Sudtirol-Bari
- SUDTIROL (4-4-2): Poluzzi; Curto, Zaro, Vinetot, De Col; Rover, Tait, Belardinelli, Casiraghi; Mazzocchi, Odogwu.
- BARI (4-3-1-2): Caprile; Dorval, Di Cesare, Vicari, Ricci; Maita, Benali, Benedetti; Folorunsho; Cheddira, Esposito.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 0-1