Racing could secure promotion to La Liga this weekend: decisive match in Santander. For the first time in 14 years, Racing is close to returning to La Liga. To clinch promotion ahead of schedule, the club needs to defeat Valladolid and hope for favorable results in parallel matches. The city is preparing large-scale support.
In Santander, the moment fans have been waiting for over ten years is approaching: Racing could secure promotion back to La Liga as early as this weekend. To do so, the club needs to beat Real Valladolid at their home stadium, El Sardinero, and hope for favorable outcomes in two other matches — Las Palmas vs Almería and Andorra vs Deportivo de La Coruña. If both conditions are met, the team will officially return to the top division.
Racing last left the elite of Spanish football in April 2012 after losing to Real Sociedad. In the years since, the club spent seven seasons outside the professional leagues, including stints in 2ªB and Primera RFEF, as well as a series of crises — from a boycott in the Copa del Rey to unsuccessful attempts to return to Segunda. Now, 14 years later, the team has a real chance to end this chapter.
Head coach José Alberto López does not plan to change the lineup that secured victory in the previous round. All key players remain available except for the injured Facu González and Manex Lozano. In attack, despite Asier Villalibre’s scoring form, Guliashvili is expected to return to the starting eleven. From the youth team, only Diego Fuentes “Chino” has been included in the squad.
Real Valladolid, having already secured survival, intends to make things difficult for the hosts. Coach Escribá has stated the desire to win all remaining matches of the season, despite the team's personnel issues: Michelin (due to loan terms), Marcos André (after surgery), as well as David Torres and Biuk (suspensions) will not play. In defense, Iván Alejo, who recently became a father, will continue, and in attack Carvajal, who scored an early goal last match, is vying for more minutes.
The city is preparing for a large-scale show of support: the fan group La Gradona de Los Malditos is organizing a special team welcome at the stadium. The bus carrying the players and coaching staff will set off from Instalaciones Nando Yosu and travel along the main streets to Los Campos de Sport. A full house is expected, with 529 visiting fans from Valladolid among the supporters. However, some tickets intended for visiting fans mistakenly ended up in the hands of local supporters.
The situation at the top of the Segunda table remains tense: a place in La Liga depends not only on Racing's result, but also on the outcomes of the matches played by their rivals. Such intrigue is typical for the final rounds of the season, when the battle for promotion intensifies. As shown in the recent round, where three clubs from the bottom of the table earned victories, unexpected twists are possible right up until the end — you can read more about this in the article about the fight for survival in LaLiga.
For reference: Racing is one of the oldest clubs in Spain, founded in 1913. El Sardinero holds over 22,000 spectators and traditionally draws full crowds for key matches. The team's return to La Liga could become a major event not only for Cantabria, but for all of Spanish football, where regional clubs play a significant role in the development of the national championship.
