The Triumvirate Tested with Demanding Road Trips for Movistar Estudiantes and Grupo Alega Cantabria

They have accumulated four wins in the first four matchdays of competition and remain undefeated in both League and Cup, but this weekend the level of difficulty will increase for the competition leaders with three trap games. HLA Alicante will host Inveready Askatuak Gipuzkoa at home, while Movistar Estudiantes and Grupo Alega Cantabria face demanding road trips to Palma de Mallorca and Albacete respectively.

Following an exciting Copa España matchday midweek, Primera FEB teams will return to the court this Saturday for their third game in the last 8 days. They will do so with the common objective of securing one final victory that, in the case of the three leaders, would allow them to complete a perfect week in the competition.

They have dominated the competition since their first matchday at the end of last September and today, a month after that start, the three leaders of the table can boast their undefeated status in both League and Cup. This is why their respective commitments this weekend are marked in red by their coaches in order to close one of the most demanding weeks of the season in the best possible way.

A weekend not without difficulty that HLA Alicante will open on Sunday morning by hosting Inveready Askatuak Gipuzkoa at home, a team wounded after their recent League losses and Cup elimination. A record that makes Sergio García's team especially dangerous before their visit to an Alicante side that has been flawless so far. This is why Pedro Rivero must alert his players to avoid overconfidence, something that Grupo Alega Cantabria also hopes to escape. Because, after their Cup victory against Iberolea Palencia, Lolo Encinas' team will arrive at El Parque with the best possible feelings in search of their fifth consecutive win. A path that Bueno Arenas Albacete will try to stop in its tracks, especially difficult at home and hoping to take advantage of Chivi Merlo's good form at point guard against a rival missing Guillem Ferrando. And all this with Movistar Estudiantes closely watching from Palma de Mallorca where they will visit Son Moix in search of their fifth win of the season. A game against a rival determined to bounce back after their Cup elimination by a Segunda FEB team and against one of the most powerful teams in the category.

Three games that will shape the near future of a top zone that Iberolea Palencia is eager to return to, opening the matchday Saturday night by hosting Ourense Baloncesto at home. A great opportunity for Natxo Lezkano's team to get back on track after two consecutive defeats (League and Cup) against a rival that will bring Xabi Oroz back home and will have one eye on the injury report in the hours before. Because Moncho López has had to deal in recent days with the absence of Marc García who will not be in Palencia either, where they will have to wait until the last moment to know the status of Valentino Pinedo, Jan Zidek and Martín Fernández, with Javier Nicolau returning to the squad.

Palmer Basket Mallorca will also aspire to a fourth victory, with three consecutive wins in the League, and will host a still-winless bottom team, Grupo Ureta Tizona, which hopes to transfer their good performance in the Cup to the League where, like the Balearic team, they managed to advance their round of 16. A victory that in the case of Cajasiete Gran Canaria came midweek in Albacete for a team that has been training on the peninsula and will visit Cajasol Coto Córdoba in a game where the Andalusian side hopes to maintain their undefeated status at Vista Alegre.

A weekend in which necessity will accompany Caja Rural Zamora, marked by absences in their visit to a Alimerka Oviedo team on a roll in recent weeks (+2) and, especially, to the protagonists of the Fernando Martín matchup. Both Partizan de Fuenlabrada and Bàsquet Menorca will fight in an important duel for them as it will give peace of mind to the winner with their first victory of the season, leaving the loser in a difficult position. A game that Iñaki Martín's men will arrive at with the long-term absence of Javi López on their perimeter.

And all this without forgetting the great Andalusian derby between Insolac Caja87 and Covirán Granada who will board the bus to try to get back on track in a week in which absences at point guard will again mark the team's evolution. A true basketball celebration in which the Seville squad hopes to take another step forward in the category.

PRIMERA FEB - MATCHDAY 5:

Saturday, October 24, 2026:
- Iberolea Palencia vs Ourense Baloncesto (19:00) | BalONcesto TV
- Alimerka Oviedo vs Caja Rural Zamora (19:00) | BalONcesto TV

Sunday, October 25, 2026:
- Palmer Basket Mallorca vs Grupo Ureta Tizona Burgos (12:00) | BalONcesto TV
- HLA Alicante vs Inveready Askatuak Gipuzkoa (12:15) | BalONcesto TV
- Cajasol Coto Córdoba vs Cajasiete Gran Canaria (12:30) | BalONcesto TV
- Insolac Caja87 vs Covirán Granada (12:30) | BalONcesto TV
- Partizan de Fuenlabrada vs Bàsquet Menorca (18:00) | BalONcesto TV
- Fibwi Mallorca Palma vs Movistar Estudiantes (18:00) | BalONcesto TV
- Bueno Arenas Albacete vs Grupo Alega Cantabria (18:00) | BalONcesto TV