Sabasports Match Preview
La Liga 2 Promotion Play-off: Racing Santander vs Mirandes
Kickoff Time: 2025-06-09 00:30 (HKT)
Source:REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Racing Santander was founded on June 14, 1913, and is about to celebrate its 112th birthday. In 1914, King Alfonso XIII of Spain bestowed upon the club the title of “Real” in recognition of their contributions to the promotion of football. Despite not having many championship honors, the team has been a strong presence in Spanish football. Over its hundred-year history, the team has spent 44 seasons in LaLiga. However, they were relegated from the top tier three rounds before the end of the 2011-2012 season. Even more frustratingly, over the next decade, the team was relegated three times from the second tier. It wasn’t until the 2021-2022 season that Santander won the group A title of the third-tier league, returning to the second tier. Their performance has steadily improved, moving up from 12th place in the 2022-2023 season to seventh in the previous season, and now standing at fifth place this season. Clearly, after several seasons of hard work, Santander has the ability to compete for promotion to LaLiga. Looking at the statistics, Santander’s strength lies in their offensive capabilities, averaging 1.55 goals per game, ranking third in the league. Andres Martin and Juan Carlos Arana are the core offensive players of the team, with Martin scoring 16 goals and providing 17 assists, while Arana scored 13 goals. The performance of these two will determine the team’s chances for promotion.
Mirandes was established in 1927, and although it also has more than 90 years of team history, they have always been lingering in the lower leagues of Spain. Over the past five seasons, Mirandes thus has ranked mid-table in LaLiga 2. This is the first time in nearly 20 years that the team has reached the promotion playoff in the top flight, giving them slightly less experience. Compared to their somewhat underwhelming league results, Mirandes’ cup performances have been quite impressive. They once became a “dark horse” in the Copa del Rey, reaching the semi-finals in the 2019-2020 season, tying the best record of a second division team in the Copa del Rey. Looking at the current season trend, Mirandes, playing at home, dares to attack, showing strong home combat power; whereas away from home, they tend to be more conservative, with only a 33.33% away win rate, and only 38.98% of their total league goals coming away from home. Among them, Joaquin Panichelli, a center forward loaned from LaLiga team Alaves, is the team’s biggest threat, scoring 20 league goals and being the second place of top scorer list of the season. The other striker, Urko Izeta, is also a loanee, from Athletic Club B team, with 12 goals and three assists. Additionally, the starting defensive midfielder Jon Gorrotxategi and starting right back Hugo Rincon are both loaned from Real Sociedad and Athletic Club respectively, while the main left-back Iker Benito is on loan from Osasuna. Having too many loan players makes the team lack cohesion, often failing at crucial moments.
One great advantage Santander has is that 42-year-old coach Jose Lopez, who has been coaching the team for two years, knows the team’s tactical style and the temperament of his players very well. Moreover, since 2018, Lopez has been coaching in the LaLiga 2, which means he is very familiar with the league environment. He even coached Mirandes in the 2020-2021 season, truly understanding both sides. On the occasion of the club’s 112th birthday, Santander certainly has the advantage of time, location, and people. In this match, there is no reason not to win.
Racing Santander’s Last 5 Games: WDLDL
25-06-02 Racing Santander 2-1 Granada
25-05-26 CD Eldense 3-3 Racing Santander
25-05-19 Almeria 2-0 Racing Santander
25-05-11 Racing Santander 1-1 Real Oviedo
25-05-05 Cartagena 1-0 Racing Santander
Mirandes’ Last 5 Games: WDWWW
25-06-02 Cartagena 1-3 Mirandes
25-05-26 Mirandes 0-0 Almeria
25-05-20 Cordoba 1-2 Mirandes
25-05-10 Mirandes 3-2 Castellon
25-05-04 Eibar 0-1 Mirandes
Head To Head Record:
25-03-23 Mirandes 2-1 Racing Santander
24-12-01 Racing Santander 0-1 Mirandes
24-05-11 Racing Santander 1-0 Mirandes
23-12-04 Mirandes 0-0 Racing Santander
23-05-06 Mirandes 1-1 Racing Santander
Prediction: Racing Santander to win