Goals Galore But Dodgy at the Back: Racing and Almería's High-Wire Promotion Push
Racing de Santander and UD Almería are flying in Segunda División — but their leaky defences could cost them come the business end of the season.
Two of Segunda División’s most exciting sides are making a serious fist of the promotion race — but blimey, they’re giving their fans some proper grey hairs in the process.
Top of the table, but not exactly watertight
Racing de Santander and UD Almería are sitting second and third respectively in LaLiga Hypermotion, which is exactly where you’d want to be at this stage of the campaign. The trouble is, the defensive numbers behind those positions are, to put it politely, a bit ropey.
- Almería are conceding nearly 1.5 goals per game — making them the third-leakiest side in the entire division
- Racing have shipped 35 goals in 26 matches, averaging 1.3 per game
- Crucially, they’re the only two teams in the top six who also feature in the ten most-porous defences in the league
- The next promotion rival, Málaga, sit 13th in that unwanted chart with 31 conceded — already four fewer than Almería
For context, that’s not exactly the profile of your typical promotion-chasing outfit.
History says: sort it out lads
A quick butcher’s at recent promotion campaigns makes for uncomfortable reading if you’re a fan of either club.
- Last season’s third-placed side, Real Oviedo (promoted via the playoff), conceded 42 goals — but across 42 matches, not 26
- Levante went up as champions with the same tally, again over a full 42-game season
- Elche, another recent promotion side, managed just 34 goals against in 42 games — fewer than Racing and Almería have already let in with loads of football still to play
The trend is pretty clear: the sides that go up tend to be solid at the back. Racing and Almería are, for now, defying that logic.
The saving grace: they can absolutely bang them in
Here’s where it gets interesting, mind. Both clubs are carrying serious firepower going forward.
- Racing lead the scoring charts with 52 goals
- Almería are right behind on 50
- They are, by some distance, the two most prolific teams in the division
It’s the classic swings and roundabouts situation — what they’re leaking at one end, they’re more than making up for at the other. The goals are papering over the cracks, and right now it’s working.
The verdict
Look, Segunda División is a long old slog — 42 games of proper grind — and there’s a fair chunk of the season still to go. Both clubs are in a brilliant position, and their attacking output is genuinely top drawer. But if the defences don’t tighten up as the pressure mounts, that could be where the wheels come off. Promotion-winning sides don’t usually concede at this rate. Racing and Almería will need to find a bit more steel at the back if they want to make sure this isn’t just a very entertaining false dawn.