The campaign reaches its decisive moment as Hercules travels far from home for a late clash in Ibiza, eyes fixed on survival in the King’s Cup 2024. The team will be without Jean Paul N’Djolí and Felipe Chacartegui after a stretch of suspension-worthy cautions, and the KO round hinges on a victory over Can Mises to keep their Cup hopes alive. The situation is tight: a win here is the only route to protect potential earnings from a third straight season in the national fourth tier.
Failing to secure a result would likely close the door on a valuable income stream for the players and staff as the season closes. The pressure is mounting as Hercules tries to navigate a knockout stage that could define their outlook for the next campaign in the fourth division.
Jean Paul and Felipe Chacartegui remain in Alicante after their fifth yellow cards last week, while Sergio Marcos stays sidelined due to a tactical decision. The visitors face a team that has already been relegated to Tercera RFEF weeks earlier, a side that conceded close to 50 goals across 33 fixtures and has struggled to defend at home. At their own stadiums this season, the Islanders have managed only four wins, representing roughly a quarter of their home matches.
Three Coaches, One Goal
Marcos Contreras steps in as the third head coach for the Balearic club of CD Ibiza Islas Pitiusas in a short span. The club saw Raul Garrido and Manu Calleja hold the reins before him. With just one victory in five matches under the current leadership, the team’s best result came in Olot with a 1-3 win. This is the club’s only win in the last 14 competitive games, a worrying drought that has seen eight losses in that stretch.
The Ibiza side is struggling across the pitch, especially in attack and defense. They have shown willingness to press high and take risks, but such aggression has often left them exposed and prone to counterattacks. In the last two fixtures, three goals were conceded in a single contest, including goals from Alzira and Deportivo Aragón, showcasing the vulnerability in their defensive structure when pressed by opponents who press late in the game.
Indigenous players Sergi Molina and Galván make their first appearance with the first team on away duties, joining Manu Navarro and Dani Marín in the squad call. The head coach of Don Benito, who is overseeing the Alicante bench in this fixture, has included Molina and Galván in the 18-man roster for the trip, signaling a willingness to rotate players and test the depth of the squad in a high-stakes match.
If Alicante fails to return with three points, it could worsen the team’s standings and weaken morale across the squad. The King’s Cup counts 106 clubs that vie for a place among the A-teams, a rare opportunity for smaller sides to claim national glory. On the horizon, Hercules anticipates a disciplined performance from Can Mises and a shift in momentum as this knockout round narrative unfolds. Saguntino Athletic hosts Peña Deportiva at Morvedre, Leida travels to Dani Jarque Sports City, and Formentera closes the round at Mestalla, forming a web of potential upsets that could alter the Cup’s trajectory. Any misstep could invite a sequence of surprises that would change the competition’s landscape for the better or worse.
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CD Ibiza has conceded 49 goals in 33 games, the highest tally in their group, reflecting a fragile defense as the season progressed. The island club has endured a difficult campaign, failing to keep clean sheets and struggling to win on home soil in multiple fixtures. A recent 2-1 defeat to Saguntino underscored ongoing defensive vulnerabilities. The team’s decline has left them positioned at the bottom of the standings, already relegated to the Third RFEF in earlier weeks.
The Don Benito head coach, preparing for the final league fixtures of the season, has decided to rotate aggressively. Molina and Galván are among the new faces who will travel with the squad for the first time, signaling a push to energize the lineup and test new combinations. The preparation reflects a mix of urgency and pragmatism as both clubs aim to end the campaign on a more positive note. The impending match promises intensity as Hercules seeks to shed any lingering nerves and approach the game with focus and discipline, while Ibiza eyes a late-season upset that could ignite their fans and perhaps redefine their approach for next season.
► Squad list: Carlos Abad, Iván Martínez, Roger Riera, Sergi Molina, Alvarito, Raúl Ruiz, Mario Gómez, Sandro Toscano, Diego Jiménez, César Moreno, Alberto Retuerta, José Artiles, Ander Vitoria, Víctor Eimil, Michel Herrero, Manu Navarro and Dani Marí Galvanized.