With Levante UD and Elche CF having already secured their return to the Spanish football’s top flight, the third spot is still up for grabs in what is expected to be a highly entertaining matchup. The first clash between the two sides is set to take place at the Estadio Municipal de Anduva on Sunday, with the return leg being scheduled for Saturday, June 21st, at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere.
Real Oviedo: Looking to end a 24-year absence
Real Oviedo were the first team to clinch a spot in the playoff final by eliminating UD Almería in the previous round. A four-game winless slide saw the Asturian outfit replace Javier Calleja with Veljko Paunović back in March. Real Oviedo went on a 10-game unbeaten streak to finish third in the LALIGA HYPERMOTION table, gaining strong momentum heading into the playoffs.
A Nacho Vidal brace away at UD Almería allowed Los Carbayones to grab a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the semi-finals. Yet, the Andalusian side started strong in the return fixture, with Gonzalo Melero opening the scoring from the spot midway through the first half at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere on Wednesday.
However, Santi Cazorla came off the bench at halftime to make history for his boyhood club. At 40 years and 180 days old, the ageless midfielder found the back of the net with a direct freekick four minutes into the second half, becoming the oldest player to score in a promotion playoff. Real Oviedo soaked up UD Almería’s pressure in the closing stages and managed to seal a 1-1 draw, reaching the playoff final for the second season in a row.
Aiming to return to LALIGA EA SPORTS for the first time since the 2000/01 campaign, Real Oviedo will look to extend their 12-match unbeaten streak in the upcoming two-legged tie against CD Mirandés. Yet, the Asturians have beaten Los Rojillos just once in the last five games between the two teams (1W, 1D, 3L).
In fact, that victory came earlier this season, on Matchday 11, when Real Oviedo defeated CD Mirandés 4-1 on home soil. Alessio Lisci’s side avenged that loss by beating their upcoming rivals 1-0 back in March, courtesy of a penalty kick scored by Joaquín Panichelli early in the second half.
CD Mirandés: A team chasing history
A six-game unbeaten run allowed CD Mirandés to finish fourth in the table with a club-record 75 points. Lisci’s team carried their momentum into the playoff semi-finals, getting off to a solid start in the first leg against Real Racing Club. Goals from Urko Izeta and Hugo Rincón just after the half-an-hour mark gave CD Mirandés a two-goal lead on the road.
Iñigo Vicente pulled one back for the hosts before the break, but Alberto Reina netted a third 11 minutes into the second half. Yet, Andrés Martín got his name on the scoresheet before a Julio Alonso own goal deep in stoppage time made it 3-3.
The opening stages of the return leg were equally entertaining, with Izeta opening the scoring seven minutes in and Maguette Gueye equalising just five minutes later. However, CD Mirandés netted three times in a space of seven minutes after the break, as own goals from Jokin Ezkieta and Javier Castro were followed by an Izeta clincher for a 4-1 victory that sealed them a spot in the playoff final.
Based in Miranda de Ebro, a northern Spanish town of just 36.000 inhabitants, CD Mirandés aim to make history by securing what would be the first ever top-flight promotion in the club’s history. With both sides pushing for a much-coveted spot in LALIGA EA SPORTS, the upcoming playoff final promises to captivate Spanish football fans from all over the world.