EON Bake Alicante aims to regain momentum with a practical goal at home. In front of Valinox Novas at Rosal’s municipal pavilion, the upcoming Sunday clash is set for 12:00 noon. It marks the tenth round of the Men’s Silver Honor League. The Alicante squad is trying to overcome a common hurdle this season: playing away from home. Although not short on ambition, Fernando Latorre’s group still seeks away victories, with a single win needed on the road to Mallorca. In their most recent away game, they challenged the league leaders BM Guadalajara and narrowly fell short, finishing 33-32 in a tightly contested affair.
Fernando Latorre emphasizes the same clear strategy for success: the team must stay true to its style and execute its game plan with precision. The players have been refining these ideas throughout this week’s training block. Coming into this round, Alicante secured a home win, 27-25, against Unión Financiera Base Oviedo, reinforcing their belief that the right plan can translate into positive results on home court.
Rival
Both Latorre and the team’s representatives stress that Valinox Novas presents a difficult challenge. The Galician side sits ninth in the standings with eight points, just two behind EON Bake Alicante. Valinox Novas has hosted four home fixtures this season, recording two wins and two losses. Their most recent home result at O Rosal was a victory over Ibiza, 28-22.
In head-to-head terms, Novas edged Handbol Mallorca 30-31 in a tight areawide contest, with Oriol Teixidor contributing 37 goals to the scoring column, while Matheus de Novais added 46 for the Alicante rival. These numbers illustrate the balanced yet dangerous nature of the upcoming matchup, where both sides rely on strong individual performances and collective discipline.
Background
Earlier meetings between the teams took place in 2021/2022 in a memorable clash for EON Bake Alicante. On May 21 at O Rosal, Alicante nearly climbed into a podium position to force a playoff for promotion to the ASOBAL League, ultimately winning the match 28-30. In their prior visit to Galicia in the 2020/2021 season, they earned two points with a 23-27 result. Historically, teams from Alicante traveling to O Rosal have frequently left with a positive result, a pattern that has contributed to the anticipation around this ongoing rivalry.
The two clubs did not meet during the preceding season because Novas had already qualified for group play in the championship, while EON Bake Alicante focused on securing survival and maintaining top-flight status. The context of these encounters adds a layer of strategic importance to the upcoming game, as both sides seek to leverage past experiences to influence the outcome on the court.