These four clubs are looking to join Levante UD and Elche CF in LaLiga EA Sports next season.
A highly entertaining LaLiga Hypermotion Matchday 42 captivated Spanish football fans and set out the path for the upcoming promotion playoffs. Elche CF’s 4-0 thrashing of RC Deportivo allowed Eder Sarabia’s side to clinch second spot in the table, securing promotion to LaLiga EA Sports alongside LaLiga Hypermotion champions Levante UD.
Now, attention turns to the playoffs. Having narrowly missed out on automatic promotion, Real Oviedo and CD Mirandés finished third and fourth, respectively, followed by Real Racing Club de Santander and UD AlmerÃa. These are the four teams that will compete for the third and final spot on offer in next year’s top flight.
Real Oviedo v UD AlmerÃa: A strong defence against the league’s best attack
Third-placed Real Oviedo will travel to sixth-placed UD AlmerÃa for the first leg of their playoff semifinal tie on Saturday, followed by a return leg scheduled for Wednesday, June 11th, in Asturias. A four-game winless slide forced Real Oviedo to part ways with Javier Calleja in late March.
Enter Veljko Paunović, who inspired the team to a 10-game unbeaten streak, gaining strong momentum heading into the playoffs. A player who has contributed in a big way to Real Oviedo’s run this season is goalkeeper Aarón Escandell, who has kept a joint league-high 16 clean sheets in 41 matches.
The Asturian side have won two of their last three games against UD AlmerÃa, including a 3-2 home victory back in October, with the other game between the two sides this season ending in a 1-1 draw. Yet, the Andalusians boast the finest attack in the league, having scored a league-best 72 goals in 42 games.
Their squad features the leader of LaLiga Hypermotion’s scoring charts in Luis Suárez, who has netted 27 goals, which he has paired with a team-high eight assists. UD AlmerÃa have lost just one of their last six games, in which they have demonstrated improvement at the back by keeping four clean sheets.
The last time Real Oviedo participated in the Spanish football’s top flight was back in 2000/01, while UD AlmerÃa are aiming for an immediate LaLiga EA Sports return after being relegated to the second division last summer.
CD Mirandés v Real Racing Club: Fans in Miranda de Ebro and Santander can dream
Based in Miranda de Ebro, a northern Spanish town of just 36 000 inhabitants, CD Mirandés have deservedly become the story of the season. Having achieved their first LaLiga Hypermotion promotion in 2012, Los Rojillos have managed to reach the playoffs for the first time in their history after collecting a record 75 points that clinched them fourth spot in the standings.
Led by Argentinian forward JoaquÃn Panichelli, who has netted a second league-high 20 goals, CD Mirandés have ended the regular season in style by winning five of their last six games. Meanwhile, a sublime Raúl Fernández has stood out in goal with a joint league-best 16 clean sheets in 42 games.
More importantly, Alessio Lisci’s side have won both of their last two games against their upcoming opponents. An Alberto Reina goal in the closing stages was enough for CD Mirandés to escape from Santander with a 1-0 win in Matchday 17. That victory was followed by a 2-1 comeback triumph over Real Racing Club on home soil back in March.
Hence, José Alberto’s side will seek revenge in the upcoming playoff tie that features a game at Estadio El Sardinero on Sunday, before the second leg at the Estadio Municipal de Anduva on Thursday, June 12th.
Real Racing Club may have won just one of their last five games, but that 2-1 victory against fellow playoff aspirants Granada CF was enough to clinch them the last playoff spot.
Led by an extraordinary Andrés MartÃn, who has registered 16 goals and a league-high 17 assists, the Cantabrian side boast LaLiga Hypermotion’s joint-third-best attack, with their 65 goals only behind UD AlmerÃa’s 72 and champions Levante UD’s 69.
While CD Mirandés are pushing for what would be the first ever top-flight promotion in the club’s history, Real Racing Club will aim for a return for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign. It’ll be fascinating to see who keeps their dream alive a little longer.