Segunda Division play-off battle begins for place in high flight

The Spanish Segunda Division drew to a detailed on Sunday after a gruelling 42-game marketing campaign that went all the way down to the ultimate matchday to find out which groups made it into the play-off spots for promotion to the Primera Division.

Levante booked their place within the high flight with a sport to spare and so they have been topped LaLiga Hypermotion champions on the ultimate weekend of the season after a slim victory over Eibar. Los Azulgranas have been joined by Elche, whose thumping win away at Deportivo de La Coruña ensured the second automated promotion spot for Los Franjiverdes.

The 4 play-off spots went to Mirandes, Actual Oviedo, Racing Santander and Almeria, who will probably be battling it out for the ultimate promotion place and the prospect to compete in opposition to the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Julian Alvarez subsequent time period.

The highest ten within the ultimate standings

Staff	Place	Factors
Levante	1st	79
Elche	2nd	77
Actual Oviedo	third	75
Mirandes	4th	75
Racing Santander	fifth	71
Almeria	sixth	69
Granada	seventh	65
Huesca	eighth	64
Eibar	ninth	58
Albacete	tenth	58

The play-offs

Semi-final 1

Almeria-Actual Oviedo – Saturday seventh June

Actual Oviedo-Almeria – Wednesday eleventh June

Semi-final 2

Racing Santander-Mirandes – Sunday eighth June

Mirandes-Racing Santander – Thursday twelfth June

Closing

First leg – Sunday fifteenth June

Second leg – Saturday 21th June

The 2 winners of the semi-finals will go head-to-head within the two-legged ultimate, with the return leg performed on the floor of the higher-placed staff within the ultimate league desk. Ought to a tie be degree on combination after 180 minutes, it would go to additional time, and if there may be nonetheless no winner, the higher-placed staff will win, as there are not any penalty shoot-outs within the Segunda play-offs.

Let’s take a better have a look at the 4 groups concerned.

Actual Oviedo

Closing league place: third (75 pts)

Kind going into play-offs: (WDWWW)

Actual Oviedo’s final-day house victory over Cadiz (2-1) was not sufficient to assert the second automated promotion spot, following Elche’s win in La Coruña, and so they should mud themselves down for his or her assault on the play-offs. Their third-place end means they are going to be competing within the play-offs for the second consecutive marketing campaign after final yr’s ultimate defeat to Espanyol.

Oviedo’s final-day victory was their third win on the bounce and Los Azules even have the momentum of a ten-game unbeaten run going into the play-offs. That is largely all the way down to the influence of Serbian supervisor Veljko Paunovic, who took over from Javi Calleja in March.

Paunovic will probably be aiming to information the Asturians again to Primera for the primary time since 2001 – a 24-year absence that has seen the membership drop as little as the fourth tier of Spanish soccer (the previous Tercera Division).

The Serbian coach will want Brazilian striker Alemão, the aspect’s high scorer, so as to add to his whole of 14 targets and veteran playmaker Santi Cazorla to provide one final piece of magic. On the age of 40, the previous Spain worldwide may deliver the curtain down on his profession by main his beloved staff to promotion.

Oviedo face sixth-place Almeria within the semi-finals. The Asturians should first journey to Almeria, the place they earned some extent in February (1-1), earlier than they give the impression of being to safe their passage to the ultimate with the backing of their house followers for the second leg on the Estadio Carlos Tartiere. Oviedo’s 3-2 house win again in October means the staff from the north of Spain collected a complete of 4 factors off the southerners in 2024/25, and this bodes nicely for his or her promotion bid.

Mirandes

Closing league place: 4th (75 pts)

Kind going into play-offs: (WWWDW)

Membership Deportivo Mirandes went into the ultimate matchday harbouring slim hopes of sneaking into second place, however different outcomes didn’t go their manner. 

Their final-day victory away at backside aspect Cartagena (1-3) was not sufficient to interrupt into the highest two and the staff from the Province of Burgos will probably be ruing a missed alternative to assert second place after the 2 factors they dropped of their draw in opposition to Almeria on matchday 41. Had Mirandes picked up three factors in opposition to the Andalusians, it may need been a special story on the ultimate weekend.

Nonetheless, this has been a sensational season for Mirandes, whose fourth-place end is a big enchancment on final yr’s 18th place. Underneath the steerage of Italian coach Alessio Lisci, they’re vying to safe promotion to the Primera Division after six years within the Segunda and break into the highest flight for the primary time within the membership’s 98-year historical past.

Los Rojillos will first tackle Racing Santander within the semi-finals at El Sardinero, the place they emerged victorious (0-1) within the league again in November, earlier than they welcome Racing to Burgos. Mirandes boast a formidable document of 15 wins – together with a 2-1 victory over Racing in March –, 5 attracts and one defeat this season on the Estadio Municipal de Anduva, positioned within the city of Miranda de Ebro.

Joaquin Panichelli is the staff’s high scorer with 20 targets, and Mirandes will probably be hoping the Argentine striker can add to his spectacular tally to information them to promotion.

Racing Santander

Closing league place: fifth (71 pts)

Kind going into play-offs: (LDLDW)

Having narrowly missed out on a play-off spot final season, Racing Santander’s final-day victory over Granada (2-1) ensued jubilant scenes on the ultimate whistle at El Sardinero, because the aspect from Cantabria secured a fifth-place end.

Regardless of a blistering begin to the marketing campaign, which noticed the aspect high the standings for 11 consecutive matchdays, Racing’s type has since been inconsistent. Los Verdiblancos have been susceptible to lacking out on a play-off place going into the ultimate weekend, figuring out {that a} defeat to Granada would have allowed the Andalusians to maneuver above them due to a greater head-to-head document.

Supervisor Jose Alberto Lopez noticed his aspect finish a run of 4 video games with out a win on the ultimate matchday and this may increase the staff’s confidence forward of their play-off assault. 

Los Racinguistas are bidding to return to the Primera Division for the primary time since 2012, having additionally frolicked within the third tier throughout their absence.

Racing boss Lopez takes on his former membership Mirandes within the semi-finals and he will probably be hoping his staff can fare higher in opposition to their opponents than they did in the course of the league season.

The Cantabrians are the joint-third high scorers within the division, and that is partly all the way down to the contributions of forwards Andres Martin (16 targets) and Juan Carlos Arana (13). Los Verdiblancos will probably be hoping the pair can spearhead the staff to victory once they kick off in opposition to Mirandes at El Sardinero and safe a much-awaited return to the highest flight.

Almeria

Closing league place: sixth (69 pts)

Kind going into play-offs: (WLWDW)

Almeria claimed sixth place and the ultimate play-off berth following a 2-0 victory over relegated Tenerife on the UD Almeria stadium.

Having spent 4 matchdays on the summit of the standings in the course of the marketing campaign, a winless run of eight video games noticed the Andalusians drop all the way in which all the way down to seventh place, earlier than they moved into sixth on matchday 38 and managed to take care of that place. 

Los Almeriensistas will probably be trying to make a right away return to the Primera following final yr’s relegation from the highest flight. Boss Joan Francesc Ferrer Sicilia, A.Okay.A. ‘Rubi’, is in his second spell within the Almeria dugout and followers of the southern membership will probably be assured that the coach can ship promotion for a second time, after he led the aspect to the Segunda title in 2022.

Almeria should first discover a well past an in-form Actual Oviedo. The Andalusians drew with the Asturians on house soil (1-1) in February however slipped to a 3-2 defeat away on the Estadio Carlos Tartiere again in October.

Nonetheless, Almeria are the league’s high scorers (72) and their success within the play-offs could nicely relaxation on Colombian striker Luis Javier Suarez (27 targets), who can be the deadliest marksman within the Segunda Division.

All 4 groups should battle it out whereas enduring the hovering warmth. The temperature ranges are rising each on and off the pitch as summer season begins to grip Spain and the ferocious play-off battle will get underway for the prospect to carry out on the large stage of Spanish soccer subsequent yr.