Avellino vs. Benevento: Alessandro Nesta Doesn’t Hide His Regret

“In Rome, the game was experienced in a special way—there was nothing quite like it. I even played in a derby during the Champions League semifinals… I know what a game like this means to the fans, and that’s why I realize we’ll need a great performance.” Alessandro Nesta knows well what a derby means, having played in and won numerous ones throughout his playing career, first with Lazio and then with Milan.

This match on the Avellino bench, however, will be his first derby as coach of the Biancoverdi. Another factor making this match unique is the absence of Irpinia supporters residing in the province of Avellino, who have been barred from traveling to the game. Nesta expressed his regret over this decision: “A game like this should be experienced with both sets of fans in attendance. We’ll be missing something in that regard.”

Nesta’s team heads into the match with a tight standings race that’s still wide open. The Irpinia side has 15 points, the same as Pisa, Verona, and Benevento, while Inzaghi’s league-leading Palermo, victorious 3-1 over Vicenza, has surged to 26 points. Avellino’s most recent win was a 2-0 victory on Matchday 10 against Pisa, in a clash between two former Monza coaches, Nesta and Paolo Bianco. That result snapped a five-game winning streak for the Tuscan side, which had been in fifth place heading into the match.

Maurizio Mariani, from the Rome referees’ association, will officiate the derby between Benevento and Avellino, scheduled for Saturday, November 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Ciro Vigorito Stadium. This is a highly anticipated match, for which a referee with proven experience—accustomed to officiating high-level matches both in Italy and abroad—has been selected. Born in 1982, Mariani joined the Serie A refereeing corps on July 1, 2015, and over the years has built a distinguished professional career while also establishing himself in international competitions.