Álvaro Hernández
Dailysports's expert
On May 18, the Mediterraneos will host the Matchday 40 clash in the Spanish Segunda, where Almeria will face Racing Santander. For this game, I suggest a bet combining goals, cards, and the winner.
Almeria
The club has long been owned by Turki Al-Sheikh. While he may not hail from one of the royal Middle Eastern dynasties, he is certainly a wealthy and ambitious millionaire. When he first took over the project, he demanded a promotion to LaLiga. Rubi managed to deliver on that task, and even kept the newly promoted side afloat the season before last. But in the 2023/2024 campaign, others were in charge—and it all ended in a hopeless relegation last spring.
Heading into the new season, Rubi returned as head coach! For now, he's just trying to keep Almeria in the hunt for a play-off return. There were quite a few victories in mid-spring. However, they lost to Cadiz in the last round, though they still managed to stay in the top six for now.
Racing Santander
The club has European pedigree, but their continental experience is limited to the UEFA Cup group stage back in 2008. Not only have they failed to repeat that feat—they spent seven seasons in Spain's third tier since 2013. Upon their latest return to the Segunda in 2022, they finished twelfth, and then climbed to seventh last spring.
The progress has continued into the current campaign. However, their best performances came before winter. There have been some solid matches and even a few good spells since, but setbacks have been just as frequent—dashing their hopes of finally winning promotion to LaLiga. Their latest outing, a 1-1 draw with Oviedo, was another missed opportunity.
Match facts
- Almeria have won five of their last nine matches
- On average, Almeria score 1.74 goals and concede 1.41 per game
- Racing Santander have won only twice in their last six fixtures
H2H
In the last four head-to-head meetings (dating back to 2014), Racing's wins have alternated with draws.
Almeria vs Racing Santander prediction
Bookmakers expect a home win, but the visitors are being seriously underestimated, especially as they're actually higher up the table. The smart money is on Racing to win away with a +1 goal handicap (odds: 1.61).
