Paolo Bianco held a morning training session on 27 May 2026 at the Centro Sportivo Silvio e Luigi Berlusconi-Monzello as Monza readied itself for the return leg of the Serie B playoff final against Catanzaro on Friday 29 May at 20:00.
Bianco’s players arrive in the second match carrying a 2-0 lead from the first leg at the Ceravolo, where Hernani and Caso scored the goals that gave Monza the advantage. That two-goal cushion shapes everything left to play: Catanzaro must win by three goals to secure promotion, while Monza would be promoted to Serie A if the two legs finished level because it finished higher than Catanzaro in the league table.
The numbers are simple and unforgiving. Venezia and Frosinone have already claimed the first two promotion places after the regular season, leaving this playoff final to decide the third Serie A spot. With a 2-0 aggregate and the competition rules removing extra time and penalties — there are no extra time periods or penalty shootouts if the aggregate score is tied after the two matches — the margin for error for Catanzaro is a single, narrow path: a three-goal victory on Friday night.
That math turned Monza’s session on 27 May into a small, focused rehearsal rather than a throwaway training day. Bianco’s team worked two days before the return leg at Monzello, concentrating on preparation with the knowledge that a draw on aggregate hands promotion to the higher-placed side. The away win at the Ceravolo left Monza in control: two legs remain, but the tie is weighted heavily by league finishing position and the 2-0 first-leg result.
The tension is obvious. Catanzaro must reverse a two-goal deficit and do so without conceding, because any scoring by Monza would raise the required margin still further. The absence of extra time or penalties raises the stakes of every minute on Friday: if Catanzaro falls short by even a single goal, Monza’s season ends with promotion secured by table standing rather than a late tie-breaker.
Bianco’s decision to run a morning session on 27 May was the last public sign of Monza’s preparation before the decisive fixture. The team’s work at the Centro Sportivo Silvio e Luigi Berlusconi-Monzello set the tone for the last 48 hours of planning, recovery and squad selection ahead of kickoff on Friday at 20:00, when the math on the pitch will decide which club climbs into Serie A alongside Venezia and Frosinone.
Unless Catanzaro overturns the three-goal swing required on Friday night, Monza will be promoted to Serie A.
