The December Tourmalet begins

Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto begin a December with four fixtures from the 6th to the 20th, due to the postponed November match against Trops Málaga. Three of the four games will be away from home. The first of them will be this weekend, travelling to Santander to visit Blendio Sinfín at the La Albericia Outdoor Sports Pavilion this Saturday from 18:00, in a match corresponding to the 13th round of the Men's División de Honor Plata.

The red-and-whites arrive for the encounter in good form, having picked up points in their last six domestic league matches, with a record of five wins and one draw. This excellent run has lifted them to third place in the overall standings with 17 points and, thanks to having a game in hand, gives them the chance to go into the Christmas break as the category's sole leaders.

The team from the Cantabrian capital, by contrast, find themselves in a very different situation, having collected just nine points so far this season, comprising three wins and three draws. That said, seven of those nine points have come at home. They are 11th in the league table, just above the play-out and relegation places.

“The first challenge, the most important one, which we are working on and focusing on, is Blendio Sinfín. We are clear that, if we want to be near the top and close to our stated objective, we must pick up points on any away trips we face,” comments first-team coach Toni Malla on the importance of focusing on the present and earning points away from home.

This season has not started as expected for the Santander side. In the 2024-2025 season, they finished the regular league in fourth place and, like the team from Puerto Sagunto, played the promotion phase for the Liga Nexus Energía ASOBAL in Ciudad Real in May, also losing in the semi-finals, as the Valencian side did. In their case, it came in the second match against UBU San Pablo Burgos 2031, by 36-29. In the head-to-head meetings between the two teams, the same result (29-25) was recorded both in the first leg in November 2024 at the Pabellón Port de Sagunt and in the return fixture in March this year in Santander.

“In my view, they are not where they should be in the table because they have a very good squad, and with each passing day they are becoming more accustomed to what their new coach demands. We go with the enthusiasm and desire to do the next thing: play a good match, control what we can control, maintain our strong defensive records and remain effective in attack; if we achieve all that, we will be closer to picking up the two points,” concludes the Tortosa native.

Their coaching staff has changed radically, as Rubén Garabaya, who was assisted by Luis Garabaya and Sergio Carrascón, left his post, with the legendary former club players Herrero Lon and Alberto Pla taking charge as first and second coaches respectively. In terms of movement, theirs has been one of the squads with the fewest changes in the DHP. In the back line, they lost left back Marc López, but brought in Argentine right back Federico Saud Sulak. Among the renewals, those of Gustavo Alonso and goalkeeper Víctor Doval stand out. This latest renewal, together with the signings of Pol Quiroga (on loan from IRUDEK Bidasoa Irún) and Pol Sanz, forms one of the best goalkeeping units in the Plata division. Key players such as Matías Payá, Marcos Domínguez, Macapá and Marcos Aguilella, who came through the club's academy, also remain.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.