The 2018–19 Serie B (known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons) was the 87th season of Serie B in Italy since its establishment in 1929.
A total of 19 teams contested in the 2018–19 season, instead of the usual 22 teams, due to the exclusion of Bari, Cesena and Avellino. There are 12 teams returning from the 2017–18 Serie B season, 4 promoted from 2017–18 Serie C (Livorno, Padova, Lecce, Cosenza) and 3 relegated from 2017–18 Serie A (Crotone, Hellas Verona, Benevento).
Teams The list of teams for the season was originally expected to feature 15 teams from the 2017–18 Serie B, as well as three teams who were relegated from the 2017–18 Serie A (Crotone, Verona and Benevento) and four promoted from the 2017–18 Serie C: league winners Livorno, Padova and Lecce, plus national playoff winners Cosenza.
Later in July, Bari and Cesena renounced on their participation to the league due to serious financial issues, whereas Avellino was excluded due to financial irregularities. Foggia was admitted, but it had eight points deducted.
Following these event, the Serie B league assembly voted in favour of reducing the number of teams from 22 to 20; this move was promptly revoked by the Italian Football Federation due to bureaucratic issues who would not allow to change the league format for the current season.
On 7 August, Avellino was finally excluded from the Serie B after losing on their appeal verdict to be readmitted in the league.
Although it was expected that the three vacancies were to be filled by Catania, Novara and Siena, however Pro Vercelli and Ternana disagreed, and on 10 August, the Lega B announced the 2018–19 season would go ahead with 19 teams instead of the regular 22. The Italian Football Federation formalized the change of format for the Serie B from 22 to 19 teams later on 13 August.
Stadiums and locations
Team Home city Stadium Capacity 2017–18 season Ascoli Ascoli Piceno Stadio Cino e Lillo Del Duca 18th in Serie B Benevento Benevento Stadio Ciro Vigorito 20th in Serie A Brescia Brescia Stadio Mario Rigamonti 16th in Serie B Carpi Carpi Stadio Sandro Cabassi 11th in Serie B Cittadella Cittadella Stadio Pier Cesare Tombolato 6th in Serie B Cosenza Cosenza Stadio San Vito-Gigi Marulla 5th Serie C/C, play-off winner Cremonese Cremona Stadio Giovanni Zini 14th in Serie B Crotone Crotone Stadio Ezio Scida 18th in Serie A Foggia Foggia Stadio Pino Zaccheria 9th in Serie B Hellas Verona Verona Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi 19th in Serie A Lecce Lecce Stadio Via del Mare Serie C/C Champions Livorno Livorno Stadio Armando Picchi Serie C/A Champions Padova Padua Stadio Euganeo Serie C/B Champions Palermo Palermo Stadio Renzo Barbera 4th in Serie B Perugia Perugia Stadio Renato Curi 8th in Serie B Pescara Pescara Stadio Adriatico-Giovanni Cornacchia 17th in Serie B Salernitana Salerno Stadio Arechi 12th in Serie B Spezia La Spezia Stadio Alberto Picco 10th in Serie B Venezia Venice Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo 5th in Serie B
Personnel and kits TeamPresidentManagerKit manufacturerShirt sponsor (front)Shirt sponsor (back)*Shirt sponsor (sleeve)*Shorts sponsor Ascoli Giuliano Tosti Vincenzo Vivarini Nike AIR fire/Fainplast, Moretti Design/BricoferUnibetFacile RistrutturareNone Benevento Oreste Vigorito Cristian Bucchi Frankie Garage IVPC, Rillo CostruzioniUnibetFacile RistrutturareSAPA Group Brescia Massimo Cellino Eugenio Corini Acerbis UBI BancaOfficine Meccaniche RezzatesiNoneNone Carpi Claudio Caliumi Fabrizio Castori GivovaGaudì JeansUnibetFacile RistrutturareNone Cittadella Andrea Gabrielli Roberto Venturato Boxeur Des Rues OCSA (H)/Veneta Nastri (A)/Gavinox (T), Gruppo GabrielliUnibetFacile RistrutturareMetalservice Cosenza Eugenio Guarascio Piero Braglia Legea Ecologia Oggi/Quattropuntozero, Volkswagen Gruppo ChiappettaUnibetFacile RistrutturareLa Valle Trasporti Cremonese Paolo Rossi Massimo Rastelli Garman Ilta Inox (H)/Arinox (A)UnibetFacile RistrutturareArvedi Tubi Acciaio Crotone Gianni Vrenna Giovanni Stroppa Zeus Envì Group, Metal CarpenteriaUnibetFacile RistrutturareFord Vumbaca Group Foggia Lucio Fares Gianluca Grassadonia Nike Wüber, VisionOtticaUnibetFacile RistrutturareMetaurobus Hellas Verona Maurizio Setti Alfredo Aglietti MacronGruppo Sinergy, AirDolomiti (H & A)/Sartori Vini (T)UnibetFacile RistrutturareSEC Events Lecce Saverio Sticchi Damiani Fabio Liverani M908 Moby Lines, Pasta MaffeiUnibetFacile RistrutturareVilla Iris Livorno Aldo Spinelli Roberto Breda LegeaGruppo Spinelli, ToremarUnibetFacile RistrutturareArchipelagus Line & Energy Padova Roberto Bonetto Matteo Centurioni Kappa Italiana Assicurazioni, ZanuttaUnibetFacile RistrutturareTiemme Costruzioni Palermo Rino Foschi Delio Rossi Legea Unieuro/Super Conveniente/OMER Group/Gagliano Gioielli/Arkus Network, Bisaten UnibetFacile RistrutturareNone Perugia Massimiliano Santopadre Alessandro Nesta Frankie Garage Officine Piccini, VitakraftUnibetFacile RistrutturareMericat Pescara Daniele Sebastiani Giuseppe Pillon Erreà Sarni Ristorazione, LiofilchemUnibetFacile RistrutturareVincenzo Serraiocco Consulting Salernitana Marco Mezzaroma & Claudio Lotito Angelo Gregucci Givova SèlecoUnibetFacile RistrutturareNone Spezia Andrea Corradino Pasquale Marino Acerbis CarispeziaUnibetFacile RistrutturareGelateria Vernazza Venezia Joe Tacopina Serse Cosmi NikeLino SonegoUnibetFacile RistrutturareNone * Starting from this season, the two new unique institutional sponsors for all the teams participating in the Serie B tournament (except for Brescia) are Unibet (on the back under the numbering) and Facile Ristrutturare (on the left sleeve as a patch).
Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Replaced by Date of appointment Ascoli Serse Cosmi Sacked Pre-season Pre-season Vincenzo Vivarini Pre-season Benevento Roberto De Zerbi End of contract Christian Bucchi Brescia Ivo Pulga David Suazo Carpi Antonio Calabro Marcello Chezzi Crotone Walter Zenga Mutual consent Giovanni Stroppa Foggia Giovanni Stroppa Signed by Crotone Gianluca Grassadonia Livorno Andrea Sottil Mutual consent Cristiano Lucarelli Palermo Roberto Stellone Bruno Tedino Spezia Fabio Gallo End of contract Pasquale Marino Hellas Verona Fabio Pecchia Fabio Grosso Venezia Filippo Inzaghi Stefano Vecchi Brescia David Suazo Sacked 18 September 2018 15th Eugenio Corini 18 September 2018 Carpi Marcello Chezzi Mutual consent 18 September 2018 18th Fabrizio Castori 18 September 2018 Palermo Bruno Tedino Sacked 26 September 2018 7th Roberto Stellone 26 September 2018 Venezia Stefano Vecchi 11 October 2018 16th Walter Zenga 11 October 2018 Crotone Giovanni Stroppa 29 October 2018 11th Ivan Moschella (caretaker) 29 October 2018 Ivan Moschella End of caretaker spell 1 November 2018 12th Massimo Oddo 1 November 2018 Cremonese Andrea Mandorlini Sacked 4 November 2018 12th Massimo Rastelli 5 November 2018 Padova Pierpaolo Bisoli 6 November 2018 16th Claudio Foscarini 6 November 2018 Livorno Cristiano Lucarelli 6 November 2018 19th Roberto Breda 7 November 2018 Foggia Gianluca Grassadonia 11 December 2018 18th Gaetano Pavone (caretaker) 11 December 2018 Gaetano Pavone End of caretaker spell 18 December 2018 17th Pasquale Padalino 18 December 2018 Salernitana Stefano Colantuono Resigned 18 December 2018 10th Angelo Gregucci 20 December 2018 Crotone Massimo Oddo 28 December 2018 14th Giovanni Stroppa 28 December 2018 Padova Claudio Foscarini Sacked 28 December 2018 19th Pierpaolo Bisoli 28 December 2018 Venezia Walter Zenga 5 March 2019 16th Serse Cosmi 5 March 2019 Foggia Pasquale Padalino 10 March 2019 17th Gianluca Grassadonia 11 March 2019 Padova Pierpaolo Bisoli 18 March 2019 18th Matteo Centurioni 18 March 2019 Palermo Roberto Stellone 23 April 2019 3rd Delio Rossi 24 April 2019 Hellas Verona Fabio Grosso 1 May 2019 6th Alfredo Aglietti 1 May 2019
League table
Positions by round The table lists the positions of teams after each week of matches. In order to preserve chronological evolvements, any postponed matches are not included to the round at which they were originally scheduled, but added to the full round they were played immediately afterwards.
Results
Promotion play-offs Six teams could contest the promotion play-offs depending on the point differential between the third and fourth-placed teams. It began with a preliminary one-legged round played at the home venue of the higher placed team, involving the teams placed fifth to eight. The two winning teams advanced to play the third and fourth-placed teams in the two-legged semi-finals. Those winning teams advanced to the two-legged final, where the winner was promoted to play in Serie A the following season. In the two-legged rounds, the higher seeded team played the second game at home.
Preliminary round
Semi-finals First leg
Second leg
Finals First leg
Second leg
Relegation play-out The relegation play-out was originally scheduled to be played between the 15th and the 16th placed teams in the table — Venezia and Salernitana. However, following the relegation of Palermo to the bottom of the table due to administrative offense (financial irregularities), the Lega B announced no relegation play-off would be held, thus effectively relegating Foggia directly.
However, on 23 May 2019, the Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR) of Lazio declared void the procedure followed by the Lega B, provisionally reintroducing the play-out, this time between Salernitana (15th) and Foggia (16th), in accordance with the new standings after Palermo were subsequently placed at the bottom of the league table due to financial irregularities. The decision was upheld by the Guarantee College of Sports (Collegio di garanzia dello sport) on 27 May.
Finally, on 29 May, the Court of Appeal of the Italian Football Federation (Corte d'Appello della FIGC) annulled the relegation of Palermo, who were sanctioned with 20 points of penalization instead, and hence changed the composition of the matches, causing the immediate relegation of Foggia, and the re-admission to the play-out of Venezia. Nevertheless, the players of both teams threatened to boycott the challenge, regarding it as late in the calendar (25 days after the last match), problematic for holidays and recesses of players, and conflicting with the FIFA International Calendar and a resolution of Lega B, according to which Serie B matches could not be held during the national team period (3–11 June).
Matches The higher-placed team played at home for the second leg. If tied on aggregate, extra time and a penalty shoot-out would be played because both teams ended up with the same number of points in the table. The losers would be relegated to Serie C for the following season.
First leg
Second leg
On 12 July, the FIGC retired the professional license of Palermo. According to the new regulations enacted by the FIGC in January 2019, the relegation play-out was consequently considered null and void, and both Venezia and Salernitana were allowed to remain in Serie B.
Season statistics Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Alfredo DonnarummaBrescia252 Massimo Coda1Benevento223 Leonardo MancusoPescara194 Andrea La MantiaLecce175 Gabriele Moncini3Cittadella156 Ilija NestorovskiPalermo14 SimyCrotone8 Marco MancosuLecce139 Giampaolo Pazzini2Hellas Verona12 Ernesto TorregrossaBrescia Valerio VerrePerugia Note 1Player scored 1 goal in the play-offs. 2Player scored 2 goals in the play-offs. 3Player scored 3 goals in the play-offs.
Clean sheets