No place up for grabs in the next round of the CERH European League, but Sporting CP still wants the points

Alvalade's adventure in the CERH European League this season comes to a close this weekend with the hosting of the Spanish giants Réus. Although qualification for the next round of the competition is now mathematically impossible, coach Guillem Pérez still wants his team to put on a good show: "It won't mean anything for the standings, but it is a game that can help us find our confidence again. The lads believe in themselves and it is an important match for Sporting CP's image in Europe. Réus are the best Spanish side, together with Barcelona. They have won all of their matches so far and are second in their national league. They are obviously a good team and honestly it is the worst team we could come across now."

Italian champions bring Alvalade CERH hopes to an end

Sporting CP missed out 3-1 to Forte dei Marmi this Saturday, ending this season's CERH European League campaign.

It was a well balanced encounter, with both sides well organised in defence. Sporting CP needed to bring points home from Italy to keep quarter-final hopes alive, but the weekend's hosts had other ideas.

After a goalless first-half, Forte dei Marmi came out strong and took the lead through Gastón d'Oro. A brilliant spell for Sporting CP followed and an inspired solo play from Pedro Gil drew the scoreboard level. However, the 2015/16 semi-finalists rallied and two late strikes from Romero and Torner setenced the final result.