Three days remain, nine points at stake, and seven clubs are fully engaged in a fierce battle to avoid the two spots that lead to the Second RFEF. The fight is as tight as it gets, with the margin of error razor-thin and a single stumble capable of reshaping the entire table. At stake is a crucial clash between the eleventh-placed team Numancia (45 points) and Real Unión, sitting in seventeenth. The results of any matchday can quickly flip positions because the relegation zone offers almost no room for reaction.
Alcoyano, La Nucía and Intercity, three squads from Alicante’s Group 2 in the First RFEF, face a heavy workload. Vicente Parras’ side carries only a one-point cushion, while Mario Cartagena and Alexander Sandroni know no safety guarantee. Both teams sit on a par with Atlético Baleares, who occupy the sixteenth spot and cling to the danger line with 43 points.
Elche’s Deportivo coach set expectations two days earlier: permanence will be sealed in the time remaining, with a clear plan to “add points in the last three games.” The message wasn’t that winning all three finals was mandatory, but it was made plain that losing any of them would shrink the margin for error for the occupant of a hot zone spot.
Eldense fails to win at Soria and Amorebieta defeats SD Logroño; the Basques could emerge as champions
The large cluster of teams in contention, including seven fighting for two openings, makes it nearly impossible to forecast third-party results. Victory is often the most realistic option in a time when nerves are taut, pressure is high, and the fear of defeat weighs heavily on the players’ legs.
The drama could stretch to the ninth position, possibly lifting Nàstic (10th, 45 points) and Sabadell (9th, 46 points). They would need an astonishing sequence of outcomes to find themselves involved in a fight they hadn’t anticipated at the season’s start.
Difficult calendars
None of the Alicante clubs will play more than one home game in the final stretch; all have multiple away matches, with the opening clash this week. One of the teams travels to Lezama to face the Athletic Club, now relegation-fighters in their division, while the coaching staff knows that results against lower-ranked opponents can be deceptive. Next comes a trip to Real Murcia, a side pushing for promotion after dropping from the top tier late in the season, and the regular-season finale at the Nàstic ground in Tarragona, where permanence may already be decided.
La Nucía must head to Sabadell this weekend, treating this encounter as a final to secure continued status in the First RFEF. The frontrunner to promotion, the Barcelona subsidiary, will then visit the Olympic Stadium and finish the campaign in Irún against Real Unión, a match that could swing dramatically depending on earlier results.
Eldense – Amorebieta: A race for life and death
Pedro Rojas
Intercity faces two high-stakes weeks. Their journey is the most demanding, with a Saturday trip to Germany at 20:00 and a quick return after securing a crucial result against SD Logroñés in Barcelona, aiming to strengthen their chances of cracking the top five. If coach Sandroni’s side emerges successful from this double header, they could close the season with a flourish on a Calahorra field that has seen relegation looming for weeks.
Three coaches share simple math: “collect at least four of the remaining nine points.” Alcoyano seems poised to do well, but La Nucía and Intercity know they must push harder, especially since Real Unión has finished the season strongly from the lower end of the table.
While tensions rise in Marina Baixa and the capital, the teams eye promotion, hungry after narrowly missing the option to lead. If Amorebieta beats SD Logroñés and those from the Vinalopó region fail to win in Soria, the Basques could secure promotion to the Second Division.