Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto look for some breathing space against SD Teucro

If Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto have achieved anything in these first five matches of the second half of the Asobal League season, it is that, after leaving the relegation zone where they spent the long Bauhaus Asobal League break, they now depend on themselves to keep looking higher each day.

And that is what they will be seeking tomorrow in the match against SD Teucro, from 18:30 at the Ovni.

After taking five points from a possible eight, Fertiberia see Teucro as the ideal opponent against whom to gain a little more breathing space in their fight for survival. The tiny points gap, with just one point separating them, the nerves the Galician team may be feeling as they find themselves in the relegation zone for the first time all season, and the fact that the Pontevedra side have gone eleven matches without winning and have no away victories are the arguments supporters are putting forward in calling for such a necessary win.

However, Milos’s men know the task will be far from easy. Teucro, who won 31–29 in the first-round meeting, are a very difficult opponent, like all the teams in this highly competitive Asobal League, and will make them work hard for victory. Quique Domínguez’s combative group, with quality players throughout, will require Fertiberia to perform at the level they have shown in this second phase of the season. Defending as they have done recently and preventing Teucro from running—their main attacking weapon—are the antidotes Nikola Milos will need to deploy on the Ovni’s blue court to stop the Galicians.

The injury list in Puerto Sagunto appears to be clearing, with only Javier Tarrasó a doubt, although he has already begun training with the group and the final decision will rest with the coach on Saturday itself. The rest of the squad are available to the Croatian coach.

There is some concern within the red-and-white board about attendance because the match coincides with the fallas parade in Puerto de Sagunto, and many supporters share a passion for both fallas and handball. In this regard, Carlos Argente, Fertiberia’s Vice-President of Communications, says “we hope the supporters respond as they always do. It is a vital match as we try to escape the danger zone, and we need the warmth of the Ovni. If anyone cannot attend, please pass on their season ticket; an empty seat means one fewer voice supporting the team in this match, which should round off the club’s best week in years with the signing of Fertiberia’s sponsorship for the next four seasons. Now it is our turn to respond, and tomorrow is the first opportunity to do so.”

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.