Facing San Giustino

Second day back – and first match of 2024 – for Rinascita Lagonegro, involved tomorrow afternoon (6pm) in the delicate trip to Umbria at S. Giustino. A real clash at the top of the Blue Group: Lagonegro, with its 25 points, precedes the Umbrians (24) in second place in the standings. The first leg, played last October 22nd at Villa d’Agri, ended 3-0 for Lorizio’s boys, one of the first demonstrations of strength and character this season. A completely different challenge is expected tomorrow, S. Giustino – excellently led by coach Marco Bartolini – has grown exponentially over the course of the championship, so much so that at the halfway point it has earned qualification for the quarter-finals of the Italian Cup scheduled for Wednesday 10 January against Fano. La Rinascita has relaunched itself, in the standings but above all in morale, thanks to the clear home success (3-0) against Modica last Sunday which effectively erased the emotional waste caused by the lack of access to the Italian trophy: therefore now the main objective of the team is to concentrate totally on the championship and face the second round in the best possible way. Long-term patient Lorenzo Piazza (away from Taraflex since November) will not be part of the match as he is following an intense recovery plan and it is hoped to have him available again soon. Lorizio will try to undermine the Umbrian reception by entrusting the keys of the attack to Edvinas Vaskelis (also inspired against Modica with his 18 points and 31 attacks) and focusing on the constant growth of the Stefano Armenante – Andrea Fioretti duo (both did well against the Sicilians, respectively 12 and 10 points). Leading them in the director’s department is Roberto Mastrangelo, who is increasingly integrated into the team mechanisms and a worthy replacement for Piazza. The contribution of captain Miscione and Molinari in the center will be fundamental, as will the defensive phase of Nicola Fortunato, one of the best on the pitch last Sunday. If on the one hand the best scorer of the championship plays (Vaskelis, 283 total points so far), on the other there is the team with the most points overall between the White and Blue Groups: 887 in 13 games played, of which 339 break points.