Serie B Guide To Promotion
The Transition from Serie B to Serie A. How does it work?
Like many other domestic European leagues, Italy’s second tier is competitive and unpredictable. Parma, Benevento and Crotone — last season’s relegated teams from the 2020/21 Serie A campaign — have all found out the hard way.
While Benevento (6th) is presently pushing for a top-four finish, Parma’s hopes are fading (13th) and Crotone (19th) is set to be relegated for the second straight season.
The 2021/22 Serie B season has been sensational. Viewerships around the globe are ever-increasing, going live into the UK, USA and Asia as fans adore Gianluigi Buffon, top-scorer Massimo Coda, veterans Jeremy Menez, German Denis and Giuseppe Rossi and future champions like Caleb Okoli, Lorenzo Lucca and new Juventus signing, Federico Gatti.
Here is Gianluca Gaetano’s stunning goal for Cremonese which won the Lega B Goal of the Round for Matchday 28.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be rounding up the race for the top two, the jostling for Top 8, as well as the relegation battle from second to third division.
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But why is there a Top 8?
Can the team that actually finishes eighth in Serie B end up confronting Milan or Inter at the San Siro a few months later to carve out their place in calcio history? Si! Certo! Ottimo!
Hopefully, this Dummies Guide to Serie B Promotion gives everyone a clearer insight into the mechanics of the Top 8.
The Process
Firstly, the three bottom clubs of Serie A are demoted, replaced by the three best performing clubs contesting Serie B. However, four teams are relegated from Serie B to Serie C.
Empoli and Salernitana won automatic promotion into the 2021/22 Serie A campaign. But how did 5th-placed Venezia get promoted? Let’s rewind to last season’s Serie B final standings.
So, Empoli (1st) and Salernitana (2nd) achieved automatic promotion. The points gap between Monza (3rd) and Venezia (5th) was five points. Let’s dive in and find out why Monza or Lecce didn’t advance to Serie A instead of the Venetians.
Promotion to Serie A
As repeatedly stated, the top two (1st and 2nd) are automatically promoted to Serie A, then those clubs that finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th can potentially eliminate one another until only one of them remains, thus qualifying for the last spot in next season’s Serie A.
In 2020/21, Venezia (5th) defeated Cittadella (6th) 2–1 on aggregate in the Play-Off Final. Let’s investigate how 5th can end up playing 6th for the last spot in Serie A.
Importantly, the 3rd-placed team is also automatically promoted to Serie A ONLY IF they are 14 points (or more) ahead of the 4th-placed team, ending the playoff hopes for 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th places teams.
Using the most recent example, third-place Monza (64 points) finished two points above Lecce (4th-place with 62), therefore Monza COULD NOT be automatically promoted.
Chievo, Brescia and Cittadella rounded out the top 8 alongside Venezia, the Lagunari clinching the final spot by winning the play-off from 5th position.
Monza (3rd) and Lecce (4th) were the highest ranked teams of the six clubs that disputed the playoffs and therefore sat out the first preliminary elimination round.
Preliminary Round
These matches are one-off fixtures between 6th vs 7th and 5th vs 8th.
If it’s drawn after 90 minutes, extra time is played.
If scores are level after extra-time, the club with the best ranking wins (5th or 6th). There are no penalty shootouts.
So, Venezia (5th) knocked out Chievo (8th) 3–2 at the Penzo, and Cittadella eliminated Brescia by a solitary goal to nil at the Tombolato.
Semifinals (two legs)
3rd plays the winner of 6th vs 7th, while 4th plays the winner of 5th vs 8th.
The second leg is always at the home stadium of the best placed team in the regular season (3rd or 4th).
In the event of a drawn scoreline after 180 minutes (two legs), the team best positioned in the Serie B standings qualifies for the final and no extra time is played.
The away goals rule does not apply.
Monza (3rd) drew Cittadella in the second round and Mario Balotelli’s Biancorossi went out 3–2 on aggregate. Lecce (4th) was stunned by the unfancied Arancioneroverdi 2–1, setting up a 5th vs 6th Play-Off Final where Riccardo Bocalon propelled ten-man Venezia up to Serie A with his 93rd- minute stunner.
The Serie B PlayOff Final
The winners of the semifinals play home and away matches, the latter at the home of the best placed club in the league. There is no away goals rule.
In the case of a tied aggregate at the 90th-minute of the second leg, the points that the two finalists obtained during the regular season are evaluated. The higher placed team advances.
If it’s still level, it goes to extra time.
Only if it’s still drawn after extra time, the penalty shootout will take place.
Here we take the example from the 2019/20 Serie B season where Spezia and Frosinone were level (1–1) at full-time of the second leg.
Even though the aggregate scoreline was 1–1, Spezia was promoted. Vincenzo Italiano’s Aquilotti ended the home and away season in third position, superior to Frosinone’s (managed by Alessandro Nesta) eighth- placed finish.
The onus is on the lower-placed teams to attack to attain promotion, and Frosinone was forced to go on the offensive, as we see in the below statistics. This is a benefit to both the viewer and an advantage to the higher-ranked club.
I’m glad that we’ve been able to decipher the mechanics of Serie B Play-Offs together. Time for some Serie B magic, you’ve earned it.
Mamma Mia, Strepitoso!
YOU WILL appreciate these extraordinary assists from Matchday 28 of Serie B.
Serie B Relegation is also simple to comprehend.
Four clubs are relegated to Serie C. Those that finish in the bottom three places (18th, 19th and 20th) are automatically sent down, while 4th last and 5th last (16th and 17th) can contest the Play-out spot, the loser becoming the final, and fourth, club to be demoted.
However, if 16th finishes FOUR OR MORE points ahead of 17th during the regular season, then the play-out is void and 17th is automatically relegated.
Now, if a play-out is required, the 16th and 17th-placed sides are paired in a two-legged series, with home-field advantage in the 2nd leg going to the higher-ranked 16th-placed team.
Lega B gives a couple of advantages to the higher-placed 16th place.
Obviously, the team with the higher aggregate score remains in Serie B while the loser becomes the fourth team relegated to Serie C. But, should an aggregate tie exist at the end of regulation play of the 2nd leg, the 16th-placed team is saved, and the 17th-placed team is demoted…unless both clubs conclude the season on equal points, in which case there will be extra-time and a penalty shoot-out if still level.
Here’s a glimpse of the situation unfolding at the bottom of Serie B.
The Advantages of the Serie B Top 8.
With a Top 8, the Serie B season becomes much more exciting. Hope is given to lesser-known, yet ambitious, clubs like Pordenone, Cittadella, Alessandria and even Ternana.
There is a butterfly effect as each club is incentivised to sign better players. Alessandro Donnarumma to Ternana is a prime example, while Pisa reinforced during the January transfer window with Ahmad Benali.
Even those clubs freshly promoted from Serie C have a sporting chance to make the top 8. Take Parma (2016–18), Napoli (2005-07) or Benevento (2015–17), clubs that were promoted over two consecutive years from third division up to Serie A!
Small Teams Can Dream Too, Can’t They?
With ten rounds to go in this 2021/22 season, Perugia is closing in on the Top 8. The Grifoni topped Group B of Serie C in 2020/21 and now, with a string of good results, has an opportunity to bounce straight up to Serie A.
More Reasons to Watch Serie B
If you love watching Italy succeed at international tournaments then Serie B is for you. Italy’s Azzurrini coach, Paolo Nicolato, picks a large portion of his squad from the second division. Okoli, Lucca, Fagioli, Carnesecchi, Colombo, Brescianini, Mulattieri, Ferrarini and Ranocchia are the starlets of the League.
Recently, we’ve seen Davide Frattesi light up the second tier at Monza, Sandro Tonali at Brescia, and who could forget Salvatore Schillacci? The Sicilian was catapulted from Serie B with Messina, to Trapattoni’s Juventus and then into the Italia ’90 World Cup team in just twelve months.
More nostalgia, per favore. The Italian second division is a breeding ground for the coaches of the future. World Cup 2006 winners Fabio Grosso and Pippo Inzaghi face off against former Serie A workhorses Roberto Stellone, Cristian Brocchi, Fabio Pecchia, Giovanni Stroppa and Beppe Iachini.
While European glory is perpetually dreamed of by Italy’s top clubs, the honour of Serie A status remains for another hundred clubs around the peninsula.
That’s all for today, I’ll be back for Matchday 29’s round up of Serie B action.
READ MORE FROM DAVID
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Author: David Ferrini, Italian football commentator
Follow David on Twitter: https://twitter.com/davidferrini_