2023/24 Spanish Segunda División Season Preview

Another season of what is a notoriously tight league is underway with Espanyol, Real Valladolid and Elche targeting an immediate return to the top flight. The likes of Real Zaragoza and Levante are expected to provide fierce competition while new boys Eldense, Alcorcon, Amorebieta and Racing Ferrol are hoping to make an impression. Read on for our full 2023/24 Spanish Segunda División season preview.

Note that this preview was published after the end of the transfer window so features all the key summer signings with title odds, coaches, squad valuations (via Transfermarkt) accurate as of Tuesday 5th September 2023.

Fantasy football stars are via Sorare’s advanced scoring matrix. They run both paid and free-to-play weekly competitions featuring all the clubs in a league that will be known as LALIGA HYPERMOTION this year. Sign up here to play.

At the time of writing, four matchdays have been played so we’ve already got an initial feel for each team. Keep tabs on our weekly Segunda División predictions for more on Spain’s second tier.

2023/24 Segunda División Season Preview

Albacete

Last Season: 6th
Coach: Ruben Albes
Squad Valuation: €15.3m
Title Odds: 15/1
Notable Signings: Dani Escriche, Samuel Shashoua, Jonathan Silva
Sorare Fantasy Star: Manu Fuster

Albacete impressed on the back of an immediate return to the second tier, with Ruben Albes’ side impressively securing a play-off place last term. They were one of the most entertaining teams in a pretty defensive division, registering a league high 58 goals last term, but couldn’t build on the momentum of a strong end to the campaign, going down 6-1 on aggregate to Levante in the play-offs.

Albes remains at the helm but the club have lost key winger Jonathan Dubasin who was directly involved in 15 goals last season, while Maikel Mesa is another significant departure. Those losses undoubtedly weaken the team but we can still expect them to be one of the most positive teams in the league and they ought to be knocking on the door of the play-offs again.

Verdict: 7th

Alcorcón

Last Season: 2nd (Primera Federacion, Group 1)
Coach: Fran Fernandez
Squad Valuation: €8.85m
Title Odds: 80/1
Notable Signings: Dyego Sousa, Xavi Quintilla, Yan Eteki
Sorare Fantasy Star: Jesus Ruiz

Madrid minnows Alcorcon return to the Segunda Division where they spent 12 straight years between 2010 and 2022. Led by Fran Fernandez, they impressively bounced back at the first attempt via the Primera Federacion play-offs, but despite firmly establishing themselves at this level in the 2010’s and frequently punching well above their weight, Alcorcon may find repeating that trick is quite a challenge.

They start the season as one of the favourites for the drop and with what feels like a really old team with 35 year old Pedro Mosquera and 36 year olds David Morillas and Jean-Sylvain Babin all starting each of their opening four games. A relegation battle looks likely.

Verdict: 22nd

Amorebieta

Last Season: 1st (Primera Federacion, Group 2)
Coach: Haritz Mujika
Squad Valuation: €9.75m
Title Odds: 80/1
Notable Signings: Jon Morcillo, Alex Carbonell, Cosimo da Graça
Sorare Fantasy Star: Kwasi Sibo

Amorebieta were relegated with Alcorcon in 2022, but also managed to secure an immediate return as champions of their section of the Primera Federacion. As a result, they’re now in the second tier of Spain’s football ladder for only the second time in their history and while they’ll be one of the favourites for the drop, the early signs have been relatively positive for the Basque club’s chances of competing.

They’ve recruited quite aggressively this summer, with 13 players arriving either on loan or on free transfers. The standout addition is perhaps Jon Morcillo who joins from neighbours Athletic Club on a temporary deal while Barcelona academy product Alex Carbonell looks set to have an important role in midfield after moving on a free transfer.

Verdict: 19th

Andorra

Last Season: 7th
Coach: Eder Sarabia
Squad Valuation: €18.75m
Title Odds: 20/1
Notable Signings: Alex Calvo, Jose Marsa, Julen Lobete, Anderson Arroyo
Sorare Fantasy Star: Diego Pampin

Owned by Gerard Pique’s Kosmos group, FC Andorra made a very impressive debut in Spain’s second tier last term, finishing 7th with a possession based style of football yielding mostly positive results under coach Eder Sarabia. Some key players have since departed though with impressive young centre-back Mika Marmol moving to top flight new boys Las Palmas while Marc Aguado returns to parent club Zaragoza after an excellent year on loan in the principality.

The philosophy won’t change too much this term but the personnel certainly has. Andorra have again largely targeted young players with teenager Alex Calvo a €1m arrival from recently relegated Malaga while Anderson Arroyo and Julen Lobete are significant loan additions. When the new arrivals settle, they should have enough quality to at least find a safe place in the middle of the table.

Verdict: 11th

Burgos

Last Season: 11th
Coach: Bolo
Squad Valuation: €15m
Title Odds: 80/1
Notable Signings: Fer Niño, Dani Ojeda, Esteban Saveljich
Sorare Fantasy Star: Jose Caro

Burgos made headlines by starting last season with a remarkable 10 straight clean sheets, including a run that saw them involved in six 0-0 draws in the space of seven games. While they weren’t winning any awards for entertainment, Julian Calero’s side emerged as unlikely play-off candidates before ultimately slumping to a still respectable 11th place finish.

It’s all change this summer though with former Ponferradina and Real Oviedo boss Bolo taking over. He has returned to former club Ponfe for the signings of two players with Dani Ojeda and Edu Espiau arriving to potentially add a bit more firepower with only bottom club Lugo scoring fewer goals than Burgos last term.

Verdict: 15th

Cartagena

Last Season: 9th
Coach: Victor Sanchez
Squad Valuation: €15.15m
Title Odds: 40/1
Notable Signings: Luis Muñoz, Juan Carlos Real, Tomas Alarcon, Hector Hevel
Sorare Fantasy Star: Kiko Olivas

Cartagena are now very much an established club at this level with this their fourth straight Segunda Division campaign. This is a city that would dearly love to host top flight football for the first time and it’s a large enough one to make that a realistic possibility at some stage, although they may struggle to improve on back-to-back 9th place finishes.

The club made an interesting move this summer by appointing Victor Sanchez as their new coach. The 47 year old had been out of work for more than three years following his dismissal by Malaga in early 2020 for non-footballing reasons. He’ll be desperate to kickstart his coaching career at Cartagonova and takes charge of a much changed squad following a fairly extensive summer rebuild which makes Cartagena something of an unknown quantity this term.

Verdict: 16th

Eibar

Last Season: 5th
Coach: Joseba Etxeberria
Squad Valuation: €32.75m
Title Odds: 20/1
Notable Signings: Cristian Gutierrez, Unai Vencedor, Konrad de la Fuente
Sorare Fantasy Star: Alvaro Tejero

Eibar have narrowly missed out on automatic promotion in each of the last two seasons before falling at the first hurdle in the play-offs and they’re now at the point where it starts to become more difficult for recent top flight top clubs to bounce back. Despite that, this tiny Basque club still has one of the most valuable squads in the league and they commence the campaign as a clear promotion candidate once more.

They do so under new management with Athletic Club legend Joseba Etxeberria moving to Ipurua after a season with Mirandes. Unai Vencedor is an eye-catching addition on loan from Athletic with the 22 year old midfielder having fallen curiously out of favour under Ernesto Valverde. Overall though, this is one of the more settled squads in the league which suggests they should be in the play-off picture again.

Verdict: 4th

Elche

Last Season: 20th (LaLiga)
Coach: Sebastian Beccacece
Squad Valuation: €37.3m
Title Odds: 14/1
Notable Signings: Oscar Plano, Nicolas Castro, Sergio Leon
Sorare Fantasy Star: Edgar Badia

Elche drop down into the second tier after a disastrous season in the top flight where their fate was effectively sealed by the midway point. The Valencian club parted ways with three coaches during a miserable autumn and winter before ultimately settling on Sebastian Beccacece who guided the club to some late season wins and a marginally more respectable final points tally of 25.

The serious work starts now though for the Argentine who inherited a lost cause last season. He hasn’t been helped by some notable summer departures with Lucas Boye, Pere Milla, Omar Mascarell and Gerard Gumbau among those to find new employers. Genk’s 22 year old attacking midfielder Nicolas Castro is perhaps the most exciting new addition on loan.

Verdict: 5th

Eldense

Last Season: 2nd (Primera Federacion, Group 2)
Coach: Fernando Estevez
Squad Valuation: €11.7m
Title Odds: 40/1
Notable Signings: Eddie Salcedo, Florin Andone, David Timor
Sorare Fantasy Star: Sergio Ortu

Based in the Valencian region of Spain, Eldense are back in Spain’s second tier for the first time in 60 years after securing back-to-back promotions. It’s a fantastic story and whatever happens it will be a memorable campaign at the 4,000 capacity Nuevo Pepico Amat.

The early signs suggest Fernando Estevez’s men might just be capable of competing at this level too. For a newly promoted team, they’ve been surprisingly bold in the transfer market, doing business with the likes of Inter Milan as well as a number of clubs in Spain’s top two tiers. They’ve thrust a host of new signings straight into the team and look determined to make sure they do more than just make up the numbers on their long-awaited return to this level.

Verdict: 18th

Espanyol

Last Season: 19th (LaLiga)
Coach: Luis Garcia
Squad Valuation: €61.1m
Title Odds: 2/1
Notable Signings: Pere Milla, Salvi Sanchez, Keita Balde
Sorare Fantasy Star: Fernando Pacheco

Espanyol drop down into the second tier again, having also suffered relegation from LaLiga in 2020. They bounced back as champions on that occasion, cruising to promotion in a season that was played entirely behind closed doors at the RCDE Stadium, but defensive frailties from start to finish contributed to relegation again last term.

They are perhaps not quite as strong as they were in 2020/21 when they could call on the considerable talents of Sergi Darder and Raul De Tomas amongst others, but on paper this is still the strongest squad in the division. Espanyol’s frontline of Pere Milla, Martin Braithwaite and Javi Puado is stronger than that of some top flight clubs while youngster Nico Melamed could be set for a real breakthrough campaign in midfield against weaker opponents. The pressure will be on coach Luis Garcia to deliver an immediate return to the Primera.

Verdict: 1st

Huesca

Last Season: 15th
Coach: Jose Angel Ziganda
Squad Valuation: €17.35m
Title Odds: 66/1
Notable Signings: Kento Hashimoto, Javi Martinez, Samuel Obeng
Sorare Fantasy Star: Miguel Loureiro

Huesca have bucked the recent trend that has invariably seen relegated top flight teams compete for promotion after dropping into the second tier. After relegation in 2021, 13th and 15th place finishes have been disappointing but they’ve kept faith with boss Cuco Ziganda who was in charge of the club last term.

They’ve been very active this summer with lots of in’s and out’s. Perhaps the biggest change is in goal with dependable veteran keeper Andres Fernandez a surprising departure after not missing a minute of the club’s games last term. His replacement is Alvaro Fernandez who returns to El Alcoraz after underwhelming loan spells at Brentford and Espanyol. Nine of their eleven summer signings are aged 26 or under with a host 30-somethings departing with something of a generational shift taking place over the past couple of months at the Aragonese club.

Verdict: 20th

Leganés

Last Season: 14th
Coach: Borja Jimenez
Squad Valuation: €17.8m
Title Odds: 14/1
Notable Signings: Miguel de la Fuente, Jorge Saenz, Yvan Neyou
Sorare Fantasy Star: Iker Undabarrena

Leganes are another recent top flight outfit that now feel very much part of the furniture in the second tier. Their first season under the ownership of Mexican American businessman Jeff Luhnow was a shaky one with coach Imanol Idiakez sacked in April and interim boss Carlos Martinez guiding them to a 14th place finish.

There is a new man in the dugout at Butarque this term with 38 year old Borja Jimenez making a bright start to his reign. That’s despite some notable summer departures including Jose Arnaiz and Juan Muñoz, the South Madrid club’s two highest scorers last season. Loan signing Miguel de la Fuente is perhaps the man most likely to fill that void, although he was far from prolific last term at Alaves.

Verdict: 14th

Levante

Last Season: 3rd
Coach: Javi Calleja
Squad Valuation: €22.05m
Title Odds: 7/1
Notable Signings: Ander Capa, Angel Algobia, Oscar Clemente, Andres Fernandez
Sorare Fantasy Star: Jose Femenias

Levante would be playing top flight football right now, were it not for a 129th minute penalty from Asier Villalibre in the Play-Off Final 2nd Leg in June. It was the kind of late heartbreak that takes some getting over, but it also had very real short-term implications for the club’s finances with the Valencia club forced to sell a host of key players this summer, raising more than €20m thanks to the departures of Pepelu, Jorge De Frutos, Marc Pubill, Dani Cardenas and Marcelo Saracchi.

Pepelu’s exit to city rivals Valencia was particularly tough on the fans with the 25-year old an academy graduate who signed a new ten year deal only last summer. However, despite the need to balance the books, Levante have managed to make some smart additions on free transfers and they still have one of the strongest squads in the league, as well as a good coach in Javi Calleja who has lost just 3 of his 35 regular season matches since taking over last October.

Verdict: 3rd

Mirandés

Last Season: 16th
Coach: Alessio Lisci
Squad Valuation: €10.4m
Title Odds: 66/1
Notable Signings: Miguel Baeza, Luis Lopez, Diego Moreno, Carlos Martin
Sorare Fantasy Star: Alvaro Sanz

Mirandes are one of six Segunda Division clubs to have made coaching changes this summer, with Joseba Etxeberria departing at the end of his contract to take charge of Eibar and former Levante boss Alessio Lisci taking over. The Italian’s appointment continues the club’s philosophy of appointing young coaches with the 37 year old taking charge after a year out of work following his last role at the Ciutat de Valencia.

He’ll be hampered by one of the league’s lowest budgets, but Mirandes are typically a team that tries to play attacking football and Lisci should be a good fit for that. With ten loan contracts ending in the summer, including that of 19-goal striker Raul Garcia, combined with a host of other departures this is almost a brand new squad and it’s an incredibly young one with 25 year old Alberto Reina the oldest player to feature for Mirandes so far this season!

Verdict: 17th

Racing Ferrol

Last Season: 1st (Primera Federacion, Group 1)
Coach: Cristobal Parralo
Squad Valuation: €9.4m
Title Odds: 20/1
Notable Signings: Ander Cantero, Alvaro Vadillo, Sabin Merino, Iker Losada
Sorare Fantasy Star: Ander Cantero

Racing Ferrol return to the Segunda Division after 15 years spent hovering between the third and fourth tiers. They won their group in the Primera Federacion which also featured their Galician neighbours Deportivo La Coruña and an unbeaten start has raised expectation levels at A Malata.

Coached by former Depor boss Cristobal Parralo, Racing Ferrol have been busy this summer with 13 new signings with a focus on players with experience of playing in this league. There aren’t many big names amongst the cast of new arrivals but the general consensus seems to be that they may be the strongest of the newly promoted teams, certainly from a defensive perspective with former Eibar keeper Ander Cantero providing a solid base.

Verdict: 12th

Racing Santander

Last Season: 12th
Coach: Jose Alberto Lopez
Squad Valuation: €12.6m
Title Odds: 25/1
Notable Signings: Andres Martin, Lago Junior, Clement Grenier
Sorare Fantasy Star: Iñigo Vicente

It’s back-to-back seasons in Spain’s top two tiers for the first time in a decade for Racing Santander which in itself represents progress after a creditable 12th place finish last term. Another solid campaign free from any relegation drama will be the primary goal again for a side that improved last season following the December appointment of Jose Alberto.

The 41 year old remains at the helm and it’s one of the more settled teams in the league with very little in the way of major departures. They’ve added to their squad the permanent additions of Clement Grenier and Lago Junior while Andres Martin, Ekain Zenitagoia and Juan Carlos Arana arrive as new forward options as Racing attempt to improve on a poor tally of 39 goals last term.

Verdict: 9th

Real Oviedo

Last Season: 8th
Coach: Alvaro Cervera
Squad Valuation: €29.8m
Title Odds: 40/1
Notable Signings: Jaime Seoane, Leo Roman, Santiago Colombatto, Santi Cazorla
Sorare Fantasy Star: Victor Camarasa

Eight years have now passed since Real Oviedo emerged from the old Segunda B, a big step on the Asturian club’s planned road back to the big time. They’ve finished between 7th and 9th on six occasions since returning to the Segunda Division but have always fallen just short off the play-offs as was the case again last term.

A slow start to the 2023/24 campaign suggests they may struggle to threaten the top six again this time around. Alvaro Cervera remains at the helm and Oviedo have convinced Santi Cazorla to return to the club in one of the most romantic transfer stories this summer. However at 38, it’s questionable how much impact Cazorla may have in a team that saw over half of their league fixtures last term end up with either 0-0 or 1-0 scorelines.

Verdict: 8th

Real Valladolid

Last Season: 18th (LaLiga)
Coach: Paulo Pezzolano
Squad Valuation: €33.5m
Title Odds: 10/1
Notable Signings: Marcos Andre, Cesar de la Hoz, Raul Moro, Gustavo Henrique
Sorare Fantasy Star: Monchu

Real Valladolid suffered heartbreak on the final day of LaLiga 2022/23 as they dropped down into the second tier after a frustrating goalless draw against Getafe. The club owned by Brazilian legend Ronaldo had decided to sack Pacheta in favour of former Cruzeiro boss Paulo Pezzolano in April and despite some encouraging early performances, the Uruguayan couldn’t keep the club up and is now under pressure to lead the push for an immediate return.

That task has been made tougher by the departures of the likes of Cyle Larin, Gonzalo Plata and Ivan Fresneda. More than €35m has been recouped in player sales this summer but only a tiny fraction of that has been reinvested in the squad, with five new loan signings plugging gaps in the squad. Real Valladolid have the feel of a team that is very much in transition, but Pezzolano needs results and fast if he’s going to stay the course and lead a genuine promotion push.

Verdict: 6th

Real Zaragoza

Last Season: 13th
Coach: Fran Escriba
Squad Valuation: €30.65m
Title Odds: 8/1
Notable Signings: Maikel Mesa, Toni Moya, Sinan Bakis
Sorare Fantasy Star: Marc Aguado

After a decade in the second tier, Real Zaragoza’s longest ever stint outside the top flight, optimism is rapidly growing that this may finally be the year for Los Blanquillos. With Fran Escriba at the helm, opposition teams are finding it very hard to create chances against this Zaragoza side and after an excellent summer transfer window, they look much better across the pitch.

Zaragoza have two midfielders who impressed in last season’s Segunda Division now in their ranks with Maikel Mesa joining from Albacete while Marc Aguado has returned from a successful loan spell with Andorra. They’ve also tried to add more firepower with Sergi Enrich and Sinan Bakis arriving on free transfers to bolster their goal threat up front. It’s still very early days but having started the campaign with four straight wins and no goals conceded, they look like they could be serious promotion contenders this term.

Verdict: 2nd

Sporting Gijón

Last Season: 17th
Coach: Miguel Angel Ramirez
Squad Valuation: €24.35m
Title Odds: 20/1
Notable Signings: Ruben Yanez, Roque Mesa, Rober Pier
Sorare Fantasy Star: Cote

Sporting Gijon have been one of the league’s great underachievers over the past couple of years with back-to-back 17th place finishes. They’d never previously finished as low down the Spanish football pyramid, having appeared in the first ever Segunda Division season way back in 1929. Therefore these are pretty dark times for fans of the Asturian club but is there any light at the end of the tunnel?

Results haven’t taken a huge turn for the better since Miguel Angel Ramirez took over from Abelardo in January but they’ve added a bit more experience to the squad this summer with the likes of Rober Pier, Ruben Yanez and Roque Mesa coming in. Much may depend on whether striker Uros Djurdjevic can find his best form in front of goal. He scored just 5 times last term, having managed 36 across the previous two Segunda Division seasons.

Verdict: 13th

Tenerife

Last Season: 10th
Coach: Asier Garitano
Squad Valuation: €18.35m
Title Odds: 14/1
Notable Signings: Roberto Lopez, Mo Dauda, Angel Rodriguez
Sorare Fantasy Star: Waldo Rubio

Tenerife slipped back to mid-table obscurity last season after their brush with promotion in 2021/22 which produced a memorable Play-Off Semi-Final win over Canarian rivals Las Palmas but ended at the hands of Girona in the Final. They opted for fresh direction this summer with Luis Miguel Ramis departing after more than three years and Asier Garitano coming in.

The Basque coach arrives with something of a reputation to rebuild given his recent roles haven’t gone well with a return to Leganes in 2021 also ending in disappointing fashion. He takes over a squad that has been bolstered by seven free transfers while Roberto Lopez is an eye catching addition on loan from Real Sociedad.

Verdict: 10th

Villarreal B

Last Season: 18th
Coach: Miguel Alvarez
Squad Valuation: €11.6m
Title Odds: 150/1
Notable Signings: Andres Ferrari, Fabio Blanco, Adria Alti
Sorare Fantasy Star: Javi Ontiveros

B teams invariably struggle in the Segunda Division but Villarreal largely bucked that trend last season. They spent most of the campaign in mid-table and while they did slide in the final weeks to finish down in 18th, there was never any serious prospect of them going down.

It might not be quite so simple this year. A number of the players who did well last season (but not well enough to earn promotion to the senior squad) have departed. Fer Niño has moved to Burgos while Sergio Lozano and Dela have both moved to Levante with three other players also finding new Segunda Division clubs. The Villarreal academy is one of the best in Spain, but even it may not churn out enough fresh talent to keep them up this year.

Verdict: 21st

Source link

About Author

Admin

See author's posts

2023/24 Spanish Segunda División Season Preview