There is more to the upcoming Serie B season than promotion favourites and the division’s newcomers. We have covered the standout fixtures involving Venezia, Empoli, Palermo and Monza and delved into what we can expect from Pescara, Padova, Avellino and Virtus Entella here.

Now it’s time to peel the curtain back a little further and look at games we can’t wait to watch this season. Be it a regional derby, the second – or should that be third – coming of one of calcio‘s great fallen giants or simply a trip to take in some Italia 90 nostalgia and some wonderful food.

Destination Calcio has picked five Serie B fixtures to circle in red on your calendar.

The dates are provisional for the following weekends and subject to change based on broadcast selections.

The Secchia Derby – Reggiana vs Modena, October 28

If the next Secchia Derby is anything like the last one then you will not want to miss it. Reggiana defeated Modena in May, picking up three crucial points in the relegation battle last season. Reggiana were 2-1 down away from home and scored twice in the final 20 minutes to earn a 3-2 win. In the end both clubs avoided the relegation play-offs by the skin of their teeth.

Reggiana won the Serie B in the 1992-93 season and enjoyed a short stint in Serie A at a time when the league was at its glorious best, but just like their neighbours Modena they are regulars in calcio’s second and third tiers.

I Canarini have spent 13 seasons in Serie A themselves and won the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1981 and 1982, but aside from that they have a similarly humble history of second and third division football.

Proximity in terms of geography and playing level means this derby is an exciting one at the moment. Moreover, these clubs are located in the stunning Emilia-Romagna region – the perfect place for a trip full of food, football and incredible Italian history and architecture. 

Caserta faces his past – Bari vs Catanzaro, December 20

Bari and Catanzaro were in the thick of the play-off race last season, with the Giallorossi finishing sixth and the Galletti just missing out in ninth. Their two meetings delivered plenty of drama, with Pietro Iemmello rescuing a point for Catanzaro at the San Nicola in October after Mehdi Dorval’s first-half opener, before a six-goal thriller back at the Nicola Ceravolo in April also ended all square.

When the sides meet in Bari in December, Fabio Caserta will be sitting in the home dugout after leaving Catanzaro this summer after a solitary season in Calabria.

Caserta’s approach was mightily effective with the Giallorossi, leading them all the way to the play-off semi-final, and Bari will hope he can prove just as inspirational.

With its wonderful cuisine and rich history, Bari is one of Italy’s hidden gems and the San Nicola conjures memories of Italia 90. And the stadium, just like Bari’s cathedral itself, is named after Saint Nicholas, who the legend of Santa Claus is based upon. That makes a visit to Bari in late December the perfect Christmas getaway.

A Tuscan derby in the city of marbles – Carrarese vs Empoli, January 24

Tuscany may have lost Pisa to the top flight but Empoli’s relegation means the region still has a derby to look forward to in Serie B. One of the promotion favourites, the Azzurri host Carrarese on the fifth weekend of the season, but it’s their trip to Carrara at the end of January that makes the list.

While the Stadio Castellani, Empoli’s home ground, is one of the biggest eyesores in calcio’s landscape, the Stadio dei Marmi in Carrara is arguably one of the most picturesque in Italy.

The Apuan Alps provide a stunning backdrop to the stadium, which is one of the smallest venues in the division with a capacity just north of 4,000.

Last season, in their first campaign back in the second tier for 76 years, Carrarese had to wait until mid-October to play at home as they had to renovate the Marmi in order to meet Serie B regulations.

The stadium’s name translates to Stadium of Marbles, a nod to the region’s world famous white or blue-grey marbles which are quarried around Carrara.

Serie B giants meet at Marassi – Sampdoria vs Palermo, February 10

Three months on after suffering relegation to Serie C for the first time in their 79-year history, Sampdoria are back in calcio’s second tier after a controversial late escape.

Relegated on the pitch, the Blucerchiati lived to fight another day as Brescia were deducted points for financial irregularities and fell through the Serie B trapdoor instead, handing Samp a second shot at survival.

Doria made the most of their reprieve, beating Salernitana over two legs in the relegation play-out to preserve their Serie B status for at least another season.

The chaos has continued throughout the summer, with Sampdoria yet to overhaul their squad after appointing Massimo Donati as manager. And yet, despite the uncertainty and last season’s flirt with disaster, they have sold north of 10,000 season tickets, a figure bettered only by Palermo.

The Rosanero travel north to Genoa for a showdown between two of the division’s heavyweights in February, the kind of fixture Sampdoria fans thought would be a distant memory back in May.

Few cities can match Genoa for passion when it comes to football, so expect Marassi to be at its raucous best when Filippo Inzaghi’s men are in town.

A historic Serie B rivalry – Cesena vs Padova, May 9

Padova’s return to Serie B for the first time in six years means a new instalment of one of Veneto’s biggest derbies against Venezia, but also the resumption of their feud with Cesena.

To put it bluntly, there is no love lost between the Seahorses and the Patavini. The acrimony dates all the way back to Padova’s since-defunct twinning with Bologna and was only exacerbated by Padova prevailing 2-1 over Cesena in the Serie B promotion play-offs back in 1994.

Cesena, one of Serie B’s surprise packages last season, host the Biancoscudati on the final game of the season. Could they condemn their rivals to relegation or could Padova derail their promotion bid at the final turn?

A short train ride away from Bologna, Cesena claims to be home to the Piadina Romagnola, a thin flatbread filled with either cheese or prosciutto and the perfect snack to watch a bit of Serie B football.

Don’t forget, Destination Calcio will be bringing you live Serie B action during every round of the 2025-26 on DCTV.

Click HERE for the full 2025-26 calendar.