The Muñoz Pérez stadium faces a tough test: CD Estepona hosts an undefeated CD Don Benito.

There are matches that come after a victory.

And there are matches that come after a defeat.

But there are also games that help us understand what a team does when things don't go as planned .

CD Estepona returns to the Francisco Muñoz Pérez stadium this Saturday.

At 7:00 PM.

The stands will have a voice again.

Estepona returns home.

And facing them will be a rival who arrives in Estepona with ten points out of a possible twelve .

CD Don Benito.

Second place.

Three victories.

A tie.

No defeats.

And only one goal conceded in four matches .

Estepona arrives with four points.

With one win, one draw and two losses.

With a recent defeat in Tenerife that left the feeling that the team could have come back with something more.

And with a question that begins to emerge after four days:

What version of this Estepona team are we going to see when they play at home again?

Because the Muñoz Pérez is reopening its doors.

And this time, it's not just any rival.

Tenerife suffered a different kind of defeat

The 2-1 loss against Tenerife B hurt.

But there are defeats and defeats.

Estepona conceded a penalty very early on.

Omar Sánchez made it 1-0 from the penalty spot.

And the game could have gotten much more complicated.

It didn't happen.

The team reacted.

He continued competing.

He found spaces.

And Sandji Baradji equalized in the 35th minute.

Then came an open second half.

Very open.

Tenerife had chances.

Estepona too.

Ariel Herrero had the 1-2.

Jorge Álvarez came close.

Alberto González had a chance, but his shot was cleared practically off the line.

The game was there.

Until the second penalty arrived.

Minute 83.

Omar Sánchez scored again.

2-1.

And this time there was no time for another reaction.

The numbers also tell a much more balanced story than the result might suggest.

54% possession for Tenerife.

46% for Estepona.

Five shots on goal from the reserve team.

Three from Manolo Sánchez's team.

Four corners for each team.

Five shots fired outside Estepona.

The game was decided by the details.

And especially from the penalty spot.

The problem is that details are also part of football.

And now it's time to answer again.

Four matchdays do not define a season

Estepona has four points.

That's a fact.

He is fourteenth after four rounds.

That's also a fact.

And he has won one of his four matches.

Also.

There's no need to hide it.

But we shouldn't turn four days into a verdict either.

Because this season has 34.

And because this same team already demonstrated last season that seasons don't always follow the path that the standings in September seem to dictate.

Manolo Sánchez arrived in December 2025 when Estepona was in a critical situation.

The team ended up securing their place in the league.

And he did it precisely at the Muñoz Pérez stadium, with that 3-1 victory against Real Madrid C that sealed a sporting comeback that is now part of the club's recent history.

That doesn't guarantee anything at all now.

That's not how football works.

The results achieved do not add points in the following classification.

But it does leave one thing:

memory.

And memory is precisely what Muñoz Pérez needs now.

Not to live in the past.

To push forward again in the present.

And the opponent doesn't encourage relaxation.

Because they will be facing a team that is arriving at one of those moments that any coach wants to be in.

Don Benito has ten points .

Three victories.

A tie.

Zero defeats.

Six goals scored.

Only one received.

It is second in Group IV, tied on points with Betis Deportivo, which leads by goal difference.

And there is one particularly significant fact.

That single goal conceded came on the first matchday.

Since then, Don Benito has kept a clean sheet in three consecutive matches .

He has not conceded a single goal in his two home matches.

And they just beat Atlético Sanluqueño 1-0 .

A close game.

Tied.

No goals at halftime.

And decided in the 72nd minute by Brian Velázquez.

After that, Don Benito managed to protect their lead and still had chances to extend their advantage.

It's no coincidence that he gets to the top.

It's a team that knows how to compete.

And, above all, that he knows when not to give in .

Don Benito already knows what it means to suffer

There is another part of the story that deserves to be told.

This Don Benito team has just returned to the Second Federation.

Last season he was champion of Group XIV of the Third Federation.

71 points.

21 wins.

8 draws.

5 defeats.

70 goals scored.

22 packed.

And direct promotion.

It was a long championship.

A fight until the very last day.

Badajoz arrived with options.

Don Benito had to wait until the last day.

And they secured promotion with a draw against Moralo.

A penalty converted by Carlos López in the 90th minute.

A grueling climb.

An immediate return after the relegation.

And now, just a few months later, the team is second in the Second Federation.

That explains pretty well the moment he's going through.

He is not here just to learn.

He's here because he already knows how to compete.

Canica has built an awkward team

José Carlos Prieto, known as Canica , continues to lead the project.

And there is continuity.

Carlos López renewed.

Footballers like Lolo Pavón, César Llera and Nando Copete also did it.

And the sporting management sought to strengthen the team with experience in the category.

One of the most important names was Gorka Santamaría .

The Bilbao striker arrived after stints at Badajoz and Intercity, where he had scored six goals the previous season.

In Badajoz he had scored 35 goals in four seasons.

It's not a template designed solely for survival.

It's a squad that wants to compete from day one.

And the first results are confirming it.

In the first round they won 1-2 against Atlético Antoniano .

Then they defeated Las Palmas Atlético 3-0 .

They drew 0-0 at Chapín against Xerez .

And finally, they beat Sanluqueño 1-0 .

Four matches.

One goal conceded.

Ten points.

It needs no introduction.

There's a name that's already starting to appear

Brian Velázquez.

He was the one who decided the last game.

He came off the bench against Sanluqueño.

And in the 72nd minute he appeared to score the 1-0.

A headbutt.

Three points.

And another clean sheet.

But the danger is not only there.

Gorka Santamaría.

Carlos López.

Lolo Pavón.

Philip Osei.

Emmanuel Attipoe.

A squad that combines players who continued from the promotion with additions designed to compete in a higher category.

And that's showing.

Don Benito doesn't need too many opportunities to do damage.

And when it gets in the way, it knows how to protect itself.

For Estepona, that means one thing:

Marking first can have enormous value.

Recent history also leaves a mark.

This match will not be the first Estepona-Don Benito game either.

Both teams have already met several times in the Second Federation.

In December 2024, Estepona won 1-2 at the Vicente Sanz stadium .

In May 2025, they drew 1-1 at the Muñoz Pérez stadium .

Previously, in the 2022/23 season, Estepona also won in Don Benito by 0-2 and the return match ended 0-0 .

The recent record favors the Estepona team: two wins and two draws in the four matches recorded.

But that belongs to another season.

To other players.

Another time.

Now the story begins again.

And the Don Benito who arrives this Saturday is a different one.

Much safer.

Much more solid.

And, above all, undefeated .

Muñoz Pérez is back in the equation

Here's the other side of this game.

The field.

The atmosphere.

The people.

The Muñoz Pérez.

Because the last official match played here was that 1-4 against Linares .

A tough result.

A match that Estepona controlled for much of the first half and in which they even took the lead.

But it ended up going wrong.

Then came Puente Genil.

And the team reacted off the field.

0-2.

First win of the season.

First away win.

Second clean sheet of the season.

And then Tenerife.

2-1.

Now it's time to go home.

And here is one of the keys to the afternoon.

Estepona needs the Muñoz Pérez stadium to once again be an uncomfortable place for the opposition.

Not out of nostalgia.

For the present.

Because a team that wants to build a season needs points.

And home points are too important to let slip away.

The party demands another version

Don Benito arrives with a defense that barely concedes.

That's why dominance is probably not enough.

We will have to generate.

Finding spaces.

Move the opponent.

Attack the flanks.

Arrive at the area.

And, above all, seize the opportunities .

That was precisely what was missing in Tenerife.

Estepona had their moments.

He had opportunities.

He had the game.

But he returned empty-handed.

Against an opponent that concedes so few goals, chances are worth even more.

Because maybe there aren't ten.

Perhaps there are three.

And we'll have to take advantage of them.

Estepona needs to rediscover its identity.

There is something that Manolo Sánchez has not changed.

The idea.

The team continues to try to apply pressure.

He still wants to compete at the top.

He keeps trying to gain prominence.

He keeps looking to play forward.

But now he needs to turn that identity into regularity .

That's what separates a good intention from a competitive team.

A game can go wrong.

Two too.

But then comes the obligation to find answers.

Puente Genil was one.

Tenerife did not end up being so.

Don Benito will be another opportunity.

And this time in front of his people.

Saturday. 7:00 PM. Muñoz Pérez.

It won't be an easy match.

Nor does it have to be.

The rival comes in second.

Unbeaten.

With ten points.

With three consecutive clean sheets.

And with only one goal conceded in four matches.

Estepona finishes fourteenth.

With four points.

With a recent defeat.

And with the need to add again.

The differences are there.

They shouldn't be hidden.

But we shouldn't exaggerate them either.

Because this is football.

Because it's 90 minutes.

Because Muñoz Pérez has a voice again.

And because one game can change a dynamic.

Don Benito arrives with the confidence of someone who hasn't lost yet.

Estepona arrives needing to win again.

One wants to stay on one's path.

The other one wants to find his own.

And that's precisely where the game lies.

Not in the standings.

Not in the numbers.

Not in what happened a week ago.

In what happens this Saturday.

Because some matches simply add three points.

And there are matches that start telling you what team you are .

This Saturday we'll find out.

At 7:00 PM.

At home.

With Muñoz Pérez in front.

And with Don Benito arriving undefeated.

Now it's Estepona's turn to speak.