To Alcobendas with the utmost respect

This Saturday, Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto visit Club Balonmano Alcobendas, from 18:30 at the Pabellón de Los Sueños, in a match corresponding to the eighteenth round of the Men’s Silver Honour Division.

With this fixture, the red-and-whites will bring an demanding week of three commitments in barely seven days to a close. Last Saturday they beat BM Contazara Zaragoza convincingly (34-25), and this Wednesday they did the same (26-23) in the Valencian Community derby against Balonmano Servigroup Benidorm, both matches played at the Pabellón Port de Sagunt.

The midweek fixture served to make up the match postponed in December, suspended because of AEMET’s red alert, and bring the number of matches played up to date. In addition, these two points enabled the Portuarios to move up to second place in the table, with 26 points, overtaking Fundación Agustinos Alicante and UBU San Pablo Burgos 2031, the latter having played one fewer match, from the sixteenth round.

Club Balonmano Alcobendas, meanwhile, are bottom of the division with no points to their name, having failed to pick up points against any of their fifteen opponents in the regular league during the first part of the season. They also failed to do so after the restart following the Christmas break, losing at home to Fundación Agustinos Alicante (26-29) and away to Anaitasuna (27-21).

The first-round match between the Valencian and Madrid sides was played last September at the Pabellón Port de Sagunt, with Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto winning 29-23.

“It is a trip we will respect to the maximum. Their position is anecdotal; they are playing very good handball. They have competed very well against the teams near the top, mostly at home. They have a very clear style of play with home-grown players,” says Sergio Mallo, warning of the importance of not becoming complacent on the trip.

Regarding their squad compared with the first-leg match, the Madrid side will be without left back David Ventas, who underwent surgery at the end of October, and goalkeeper Ramón Fuentes, who, after five and a half years at the club, signed for Cajasol Sevilla BM Proin a few weeks ago.

The match will also provide a very special reunion for David Torrejón and Carlos Martín, who shared a dressing room with the RFEBM Junior Hispanos last January, finishing runners-up in the Four Nations International Tournament held in France.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.