UD Almería will face CD Castellón in one of the semi-finals, while Málaga CF will take on UD Las Palmas in the other.
No LALIGA HYPERMOTION side had 100 percent secured their playoff spot heading into the last matchday of the 2025/26 campaign, making it an extra exciting end to the season as six teams competed for the four much-coveted slots until the very final whistle of the regular season. Eventually, Burgos CF and SD Eibar narrowly missed out, but UD Almería, Málaga CF, UD Las Palmas and CD Castellón won their respective games on Matchday 42 to clinch their place in the upcoming playoffs, that are set to kick off this weekend. Let’s take a look at the matchups. Click this link https://a.meridianbet.ke/c/C7pYjz to start gaming and stand a chance of winning big with Meridianbet.
UD Almería vs CD Castellón (1st leg on June 6th, 2nd leg on June 9th)
The first playoff clash will see sixth-placed CD Castellón lock horns with third-placed UD Almería, with the first leg coming on Saturday at SkyFi Castalia. The hosts are heading into the duel on the back of two straight victories that allowed them to edge Burgos CF in the table, with the two teams finishing level on points but CD Castellón holding the tiebreaker. Pablo Hernández’s side have been particularly strong on home soil, where they have won 13 of their 21 matches and lost just four times so far. One of those victories came against their upcoming rivals earlier in the season, with Ronaldo netting before the break and Pablo Santiago scoring late in stoppage time to seal a 2-0 triumph.
The Andalusians had previously won the reverse fixture in the south of Spain, as Daijiro Chirino found the back of the net just before the hour mark to clinch a 1-0 win. No team managed to pick up more points at home than UD Almería (47), who haven’t managed to replicate that form on the road, where they’ve won seven of their 21 duels. Two losses and one draw in their last four games may have forced them to miss out on automatic promotion, but Los Rojiblancos boast one of the strongest squads in the league. Sergio Arribas, who bagged the winner from the spot in a 1-0 victory over Real Valladolid on Sunday, ended the regular season on a league-high 25 goals, which he has paired with seven assists, reaching a tally of a joint league-best 32 goal contributions. In this two-legged tie, he’ll have to try to beat CD Castellón goalkeeper Romain Matthys, who has kept 12 clean sheets this term.
Málaga CF vs UD Las Palmas (1st leg on June 7th, 2nd leg on June 10th)
Two huge victories away from home saw Málaga CF and UD Las Palmas secure their playoff spots on the very last matchday. Chupete bagged a brace in a 2-0 win for the Andalusian side away at Real Zaragoza, while Kirian Rodríguez and Marvin Park scored one each in UD Las Palmas’ 2-1 triumph at an already promoted RC Deportivo. Having finished fifth in the table, Los Amarillos are set to host the first leg at the Estadio de Gran Canaria on Sunday, with the second taking place on June 10th, a day after the return leg between UD Almería and CD Castellón.
UD Las Palmas finished the regular season as the joint second-best defence in the league with 40 goals conceded, with their shot-stopper, Dinko Horkaš, contributing the most by keeping 14 clean sheets. No team suffered fewer defeats than Luis García’s side (nine), who boast the fourth-best road record in the league with only six losses in 21 matches away from home. Their issue was that they drew too many games, a league-high 13 of them. As they seek wins in the playoffs, all eyes will be on Manu Fuster, who has recorded 11 assists and eight goals this term.
As for Málaga CF, this is the first time they have secured a playoff spot since 2018/19, when they finished third in the table a year after their last participation in LALIGA EA SPORTS. Only UD Almería (81) and champions Real Racing Club (90) have scored more goals than Los Boquerones (75), with an in-form Chupete leading the charge. The 21-year-old forward has recorded as many as 24 goals, including eight in his team’s last six games, inspiring Málaga CF to a five-game unbeaten run to end the regular season. Having won both their games against UD Las Palmas this campaign, Juan Funes’ side will hope to repeat that record and book a spot in the playoff finals.
