Fertiberia play on Saturday to remain top against second-placed Trops Málaga

Toni Malla: ‘I appeal to everyone in Puerto de Sagunto to be at the Ovni at six o’clock on Saturday evening.’

Fertiberia Balonmano face Trops Málaga at the Ovni on Saturday, 29 October, at 18:30. The match, corresponding to Matchday 5 of the División de Honor Plata, is a veritable final between two teams who arrive unbeaten at the Puerto de Sagunto venue and will be looking to take both points to move to the top of the table. For now, Fertiberia go into the match as leaders with 7 points, one more than the Andalusians, who have played one match fewer because one team has a rest week each round. A win would be hugely important for Toni Malla’s side and would confirm the good momentum with which they have started. 

The red-and-white coach, Toni Malla, explains how they will approach the match: ‘A new and very important week of work, with the message that things can change a great deal and that we must keep our feet on the ground. We are leaders and playing well; things are working, but what matters is not being top now, but being top at the end of this group stage’. 

Regarding the opponents they will face, he says they play with great intelligence:  ‘We are welcoming opponents who will come to play their own game. They are a very well-drilled team, having worked with Quino Soler for three years, and for me they are one of the sides that play the best handball. They have a very intelligently assembled team and have improved this year with the addition of Luis Castro. The goalkeeping is also highly effective, and in terms of play it will be a very intricate match. We must be absolutely clear about how to defend against them and, in attack, know where, how and, above all, when. If they draw us onto their territory and make us follow their rhythm, things will become very difficult for us’.

Malla calls for the Ovni to be full, concluding that: ‘A great match awaits us. We are motivated and excited, and we know that winning this match without the supporters will be very difficult. Last year, despite our positive momentum, we had a lot of trouble taking both points here, so I encourage all the supporters to come to the Ovni. We will go through some very difficult moments during the 60 minutes, and they will be the support that helps us overcome them. I encourage people more than ever to come and enjoy themselves, because when the match ends we will know who the unbeaten leaders are, and we want it to be us. But without the supporters’ backing it will be very difficult. I appeal to everyone in Puerto de Sagunto to be at the Ovni at six o’clock on Saturday evening.’

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.