Monza Bidik Kemenangan Kontra Juve Stabia pada Semifinal Playoff Serie B

AC Monza akan menjamu Juve Stabia dalam pertandingan leg kedua semifinal playoff promosi Serie B di Stadion U-Power pada Selasa, 19 Mei 2026 pukul 20.00 waktu setempat.

Pertandingan penentu ini digelar setelah kedua tim bermain imbang 2-2 pada leg pertama yang berlangsung di kandang Juve Stabia, Stadion Menti, pada Sabtu malam sebelumnya.

Hasil imbang tersebut membuat Monza besutan pelatih Paolo Bianco berada di atas angin karena mereka hanya membutuhkan hasil imbang untuk melaju ke babak final berkat keunggulan posisi klasemen liga.

Pelatih Monza, Paolo Bianco menegaskan bahwa timnya tidak akan bermain aman demi mengincar hasil imbang dalam laga krusial malam ini.

"We have an advantage, but in the first leg we lost it by half an hour: it's better not to make calculations. They will come here to win, they have shown they have great quality. And precisely for this reason we too must aim for victory, but without being obsessed. I often tell the team that each of us has hypothetical realities, that is, to go up or not to go up in Serie AYou have to choose which one to catch," kata Paolo Bianco.

Bianco juga menepis kekhawatiran publik mengenai penurunan performa lini pertahanan skuatnya dalam beberapa pertandingan terakhir.

"More than anything, we conceded goals with almost every shot. As for the rest, between Empoli and Juve Stabia, I don't remember any saves from Thiam. There are moments in the season when things go one way, others another. But the team is always the same. In the league, it was at Castellammare that we played the match with the most misplaced passes of the entire year, so obviously that pitch creates quite a few problems for us," ujar Paolo Bianco.

Selain membahas taktik, Bianco memberikan klarifikasi terkait insiden emosional dan kontroversi wasit yang melibatkan salah satu pemainnya, Delli Carri, setelah laga leg pertama berakhir.

"For me the gesture of Delli Carri (no disciplinary action against him, ed.) wasn't directed at Juve Stabia fans. It was a way of saying the team has what it takes. He certainly could have avoided it and expressed himself differently. I'm sorry about the confrontation with sporting director Lovisa's father; he made inappropriate comments towards me, even if he didn't mean to offend me. They then chose to edit the video; if they hadn't, perhaps the incident would have been less talked about," tutur Paolo Bianco.

Jalannya pertandingan leg kedua ini akan dipimpin oleh wasit dari kasta tertinggi Italia Serie A, Maurizio Mariani.