Racing Santander Hit By Double Injury Blow Ahead of Crucial Castellón Showdown
Racing Santander face a massive Segunda División clash at Castalia without two key players, just as they reclaim top spot in the table.
Racing Santander head into Saturday’s top-of-the-table six-pointer at Castalia short-handed — and it couldn’t come at a worse time.
The Cantabrians reclaimed first place in Segunda División after beating Burgos by the narrowest of margins, helped along by Castellón dropping points at Gran Canaria. But the feelgood factor’s been tempered somewhat by the news that José Alberto will be without two important players for what is, let’s be honest, a proper football match.
The Man in Form Is Banned
The big one: Andrés Martín is suspended. The winger has been absolutely on fire lately, netting Racing’s last three goals — so naturally, he picked up his fifth yellow card against Burgos and now misses the trip to Valencia. Sod’s law, innit.
José Alberto is putting a brave face on it, suggesting the enforced rest will do Martín good ahead of the run-in. Fair enough, but you’d obviously rather have your most in-form player available for a match of this magnitude.
Arana Out Injured — Again
As if that wasn’t enough, Juan Carlos Arana is back on the treatment table. The Canary Islands striker picked up a hamstring injury in training at El Sardinero last Thursday, and scans on Monday confirmed the damage. This is his third injury of the season — genuinely rotten luck for the lad.
The timeline for his return is unclear and will depend on how the hamstring responds, though a review is scheduled in four weeks’ time to assess his progress.
The Opponent Is No Joke
To put the stakes into context, here’s what Racing are walking into:
- Castellón are second in the table and the form team in the division
- They are the only unbeaten side in 2026 so far
- They’ve lost just one of their last 16 games
- They were actually sitting top of the league themselves last week
This is as close to a must-watch game as Segunda División gets right now. Two sides separated by a point or two, one with momentum, one with the league lead — and Racing going in without their top scorer of recent weeks and a striker who’s barely been fit all season.
113 Years Old and Still Scrapping
It’s worth noting that Racing celebrated their 113th anniversary this weekend. A birthday win against Burgos, top of the league, and a huge game on the horizon — there are worse ways to mark the occasion. Now they just need to hold their nerve at Castalia.
José Alberto will need to shuffle his pack, but the squad depth will be tested. How Racing cope without Martín in particular could define whether they come away from Castellón with anything.