Marca Futsal

Formed: 2005
Nickname: Bianconeri
UEFA Futsal Cup best performance: first appearance

Domestic honours (most recent)
• League title: 1 (2011)
• Coppa Italia: 1 (2010)

Main round: FS Ilves Tampere 6-0, MNK Split 4-1, City'US Târgu Mureş 5-2 (Group 5 winners)
Elite round: Slov-Matic Bratislava 3-1, Uragan Ivano-Frankovsk 4-2, ASD Città di Montesilvano C/5 2-2 (Group D winners)

Founded in 2005 as Marca Trevigiana after a takeover of Treviso C/5 and taking their current name four years later, the Castelfranco Veneto-based club took only two seasons to reach Italy's top division and in their Serie A2 title-winning campaign of 2006/07 were also the first side from that level to make the overall championship play-off semi-finals. Having lifted the Coppa Italia in 2010, Marca were champions last season and have stormed through their debut UEFA Futsal Cup campaign, winning their first five games then getting the draw they needed against holders Montesilvano in Padova to depose their Serie A1 rivals.

Marca's squad contains several players with past UEFA Futsal Cup experience, not least summer signing Adriano Foglia and winter arrival Clayton Baptistella, both formerly of Montesilvano, 2007 runner-up with Interviú Madrid Edgar Bertoni, and also Carlos Chilavert, a 2010 semi-finalist with Luparense C/5. Bertoni and Foglia also helped Italy to the 2003 UEFA European Futsal Championship while behind them goalkeeper Alexandre Feller was an Azzurri stalwart for many years. Jonas Pinto is a prolific scorer and in charge of the squad is 32-year-old Tiago Polido. Looking to Lleida he said: "All the teams in the finals are full of great players, so in my opinion there are no clear favourites."

Key players
Edgar Bertoni, Jonas Pinto, Fernando Wilhelm, Adriano Foglia

Coach: Tiago Polido

Date of birth: 24 January 1980
Coaching career: A. Académica da Utad, Lobelle de Santiago FS youth, MNK Split, Arzignano Grifo C/5, MNK Nacional Zagreb, Marca Futsal

Futsal's answer to the successful young football coaches without a top-level playing pedrigree, Polido's career began in his early 20s as assistant at Miramar CV and SC Braga before stepping up to lead Utad. He then moved across the border to lead Lobelle to the Spanish Youth Cup and in 2007 was appointed by leading Croatian side Split.

His first job in Italy came at Arizgnano, who he took to the 2009 Coppa Italia, and after helping Nacional to the Croatian double, moved to Marca in 2010. There he won their first Coppa Italia before claiming their maiden championship to earn a UEFA Futsal Cup debut, beating among others Split and holders Montesilvano on their way to the finals.