Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto and BM Benidorm face their respective must-win situations

Tomorrow, Saturday, at 20:30 at the L’Illa de Benidorm Pavilion, with coverage from Movistar+ (Canal+ Deportes 2, channel 56), Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto face BM Benidorm in a match corresponding to Matchday 19 of the Bauhaus Asobal League.

The Valencian Community derby arrives in the second half of the season with both teams in urgent need of points. Latorre’s former red-and-white side are tenth with fourteen points, while Milos’s red-and-white team are thirteenth with twelve points, just one point above the relegation places, currently occupied by Puente Genil. Both teams come into the match following defeats on the previous matchday: Benidorm lost at Puente Genil and Fertiberia at the Ovni against Granollers. Nevertheless, the performances and competitive momentum of both sides are positive. The Alicante team appear to have tightened up defensively, a hallmark of this Asobal Benidorm side which they had not quite managed to find during the first half of the season. The return to the centre of the Benidorm defence of former red-and-white Russian player Danil Chernov, together with the saves produced by Montenegrin goalkeeper signing Mile Mijuskovic, has restored the defensive solidity of Latorre’s team.

On the Valencian side, Nikola Milos’s players have also improved defensively, apart from the blot against Granollers, when they conceded forty goals, while retaining their attacking output thanks to the powerful trio of Bernatonis, Corzo and Sladic in the red-and-white front line. With that in mind, the contest once again appears likely to be decided by the defences: a low score of fewer than twenty-something goals would favour Benidorm, while exceeding the 25-goal mark would make Fertiberia favourites, as they normally have a stronger attack than Benidorm.

As for the injured players, Milos’s team will arrive for the match without Javier Tarrasó, who has an abductor problem, and with Rolandas Bernatonis doubtful as he continues to struggle with his ankle following the sprain he suffered in the last match against Granollers. Latorre has doubts on the left side, where David Jimenez and Ivan Amarelle are carrying knocks, while the long-term absences of Victor Sáez and goalkeeper Pablo Chantada have been ruled out.

For the record, veteran Sasa Dukic will play his 100th Asobal League match tomorrow.

In short, this is a match with an uncertain outcome, and one that promises great excitement, as is the case with almost all fixtures in this extremely evenly matched Bauhaus Asobal League.

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.