Kick Off: 8pm GMT, Saturday 5th June, Estadio de Los Juegos Mediterraneos, La Liga 2 Playoff Semi Final 2nd Leg
Last 5 Games:
- Almeria DLWWL
- Girona WWWDW
This weekend, either Almeria or Girona will advance to the Playoff final, for a chance to be in the La Liga next season.
Almeria finished 4th in the La Liga 2, and they finished on the same points as 3rd, Leganes.
On the last day of the season, Almeria faced Gijon who finished just outside the Playoff positions in 7th. Almeria would have loved to go into the playoff’s with a win, and that’s exactly what they got. A second half double from Ager Aketxe gave Almeria an impressive 2-0 away from home.
Their semi final opponent, finished 5th in the league, on 71 points, 6 points clear in the playoff places. Just like Almeria, Girona would have loved a win heading into the playoff’s, but this wasn’t the case.
They played Cartagena who finished 16th, and they found themselves 1-0 in the 60th minute, when Pablo De Blasis found the back of the net. Girona needed to fight back, and they did as they got themselves a point when Valery Fernandez equalised late on.
The first leg saw Girona take a fantastic lead, which puts them in pole position for a place in the final. They came out the blocks, as they scored two in the first five minutes. Yoel Barcenas got the first, and Man City loanee, Yan Couto got the second minutes later.
Things got even worse for Almeria, as in the 65th minute, Girona grabbed themselves a third, when 27-year-old Mamadou Sylla seized on the oppurtunity to give Girona a 3-0 advantage heading into the second leg.
When these teams met earlier in the season, the results weren’t in the favour of Girona. The first time they met this season, the game ended 0-0, but Blanquivermells had three players sent off. Jonas Ramalho was sent off in the first half, and that was followed up by Sebastian Cristoforo and Monchu Ramon late on in the game.
In the reverse fixture, Almeria took the three points. The game looked like it was heading for another 0-0 draw, but towards the end of the game, Umar Sadiq scored the only goal of the game.
The winner of the game will either play Rayo Vallencano or Leganes in the final
Key Players:
Manuel Morlanes: He joined Almeria on loan this season, and he had been a key component of the team.
He hasn’t had many goal contributions, but he’s great at making chances for his team mates with his technical ability.
Bernardo Espinosa: The experienced center back has helped his team in their quest to go straight back to the La Liga.
In 31 appearances, he’s helped keep his team keep 10 clean sheets, while also making a number of blocks and interceptions.
Final Whistle 