Fertiberia return to Asobal on Saturday

Fertiberia Balonmano Puerto Sagunto return to the top tier of Spanish handball after spending a year in the Silver Honour Division and securing promotion last June. The red and whites play the first match of their return against Liberbank Cuenca Ciudad Encantada at the legendary Sargal. The match, which will begin at 17:00, will be broadcast by the regional television channel of Castilla-La Mancha. The red and whites have little to lose and much to gain against a European competition team whom they defeated a few weeks ago in a friendly. Nogués will have the full squad at his disposal except for captain David Bruixola, who will be absent with a torn hamstring. In goal, they will have an in-form Ribes, eager to make his Asobal debut.

Head coach Vicent Nogués says that “we are approaching the match with great enthusiasm. It is a difficult game because they are a high-ranked team that played a Super Cup match against Barça on Wednesday. I think that if we can maintain Cuenca’s defensive level and intensity, we have a chance of bringing the points back to Puerto de Sagunto”.

Regarding the Cuenca side, Nogués explains that: “they are a team with many solutions, very physical and intense, tough in defence, and they become even stronger at home. The key to winning the match would be to keep Cuenca in the low twenties on the scoreboard, which would give us plenty of options. The level of unforced errors will also be important, as the dates make this almost a pre-season match”.

“I think we have had a good pre-season; the team has worked very well. We have corrected mistakes and synchronised the things we wanted to, and I think we are ready to compete in this very demanding Asobal league”, Vicent adds regarding his players’ pre-season.

“One of our strengths is enthusiasm”

According to the red-and-white manager, their enthusiasm and the debut of many of them could be the key factor. This match will mark the debuts of Marcos Dorado, Nacho Mirallave, Guillermo Martínez and Adrián Ribes. In addition, many young players from the academy, such as Óscar Camacho, Óscar García, Iñigo Celorrio and Ángel López, who did make their debuts in the top flight during the previous spell, will have the opportunity to play more minutes in Asobal. “Last year was a very tough year in which the club achieved success. It took a great deal of hard work, and the young players who fought will receive the reward they earned on the court. One of our strengths is the enthusiasm the team has generated; now we have to maintain it and show it on the court. I hope this offsets the handicap of being newcomers to Asobal”

David Buixola’s injury

Captain and legendary goalkeeper David Bruixola will miss the start of the league through injury. This was a major blow for the red and whites, who believe they have had time to recover and begin the league: “Bruixola’s injury was a blow to the team because he is a very important player for us. The captain, the soul of the team in defence, but we have had time to come to terms with it, and we are eager for him to return to the team soon. Because of the injury, we have promoted Guillermo, a second-team player, who will share the position with Ribes; both have had a very good pre-season”.

They let the Valencian Community Cup slip away

Balonmano Benidorm successfully defended their Federation Cup title once again after beating Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto at the Ovni. Nogués’ side held their own during the first half and even went into the break ahead on the scoreboard. However, a team with more rotation options eventually overwhelmed them. The positive aspect of the match was Adrián Ribes’ outstanding performance in goal, which earned him the MVP award of the

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.