It has been a rollercoaster already, with Real Racing Club seeming uncatchable at the top for a while but with UD Almería and CD Mirandés chasing them down to finish the year in the automatic promotion spots, while Real Oviedo and Granada CF have also enjoyed good runs. In the case of leaders UD Almería, they have achieved nine wins and three draws from their past 12 matches.
For a while, Real Racing Club held a significant lead in first place, but the chasing pack managed to catch up and now there are several teams within just a few points of each other at the top of the table. The team from Santander have suffered a dip in form, which highlights just how competitive this division is and how no opponent can be taken for granted. That said, it has still been a great first half of the season for Real Racing Club, who at one point strung together seven consecutive wins away from home, a very impressive feat in LALIGA HYPERMOTION.
The season has reached its halfway point, and it’s an important part of the campaign. With so many clubs so tightly bunched together, it’s possible to rise or fall several places in an instant. For example, Real Zaragoza were second around a month ago yet they’re now 11th. And, they’re still just outside of the promotion playoff spots, where the teams between third and sixth will battle for the final ticket to LALIGA EA SPORTS at the end of the season.
On the flip side, UD Almería and Granada CF have improved as the season has gone on. Although they were two of the relegated sides and promotion favourites, these two Andalusian outfits started the campaign poorly and were down in the bottom half of the standings. However, they turned it around and are now two of the most in-form sides in the competition, scoring lots of goals and picking up many points. UD Almería have climbed all the way up to first place, while Granada CF are seventh.
Looking at other teams who are near the top of the table and very much in the promotion race, Real Oviedo, CD Mirandés, Elche CF and Levante UD are all contenders and boast some of the most impressive performers of the competition. In the case of Real Oviedo, players like Francisco Portillo, Ilyas Chaira and Alemão have stood out, while second-placed CD Mirandés have risen up the standings thanks to footballers such as Joaquín Panichelli and Alberto Reina. Elche CF’s Nico Fernández and Levante UD’s Carlos Álvarez and José Luis Morales are also standout performers.
Luis Suárez and Myrto Uzuni are banging in the goals in LALIGA HYPERMOTION
Looking at the top goalscorers so far, Luis Suárez and Myrto Uzuni are well ahead of the rest, with UD Almería’s Colombian forward on 16 goals and with Granada CF’s Albanian talisman on 14. Third and next in the standings is Real Oviedo’s Alemão, on nine goals. That’s a big gap from the top two to the rest, highlighting how these two Andalusian sides have been improving thanks to their centre-forwards’ goals.
In Matchday 20 of LALIGA HYPERMOTION, both Suárez and Uzuni scored a hat-trick, against Racing Club Ferrol and FC Cartagena respectively, helping their clubs earn two 4-1 wins. Their recent form really is impressive, with the Colombian netting nine goals from his last 11 appearances and the Albanian 10 goals across the same period.
Other standout LALIGA HYPERMOTION players: Ilyas Chaira, Iñigo Vicente, Yeremay Hernández and Álex Calatrava
It’s not just Suárez and Uzuni who are playing well. Four other players who have really caught the eye have been Real Oviedo’s Ilyas Chaira, Real Racing Club’s Iñigo Vicente, RC Deportivo’s Yeremay Hernández and CD Castellón’s Álex Calatrava. In the cases of Calatrava and Vicente, they are the top two assist-providers in the league with seven each, while they are followed closely by Real Sporting’s Jonathan Dubasin on six. Over the first half of the season, Calatrava has truly been one of the breakout stars, helping CD Castellón to have a solid start.
Others, such as Álex Sancris at Burgos CF, have impressed too, even attracting interest from some LALIGA EA SPORTS clubs. The same is true of Real Zaragoza player Samed Baždar. Although an untimely injury kept him out over the past few matchdays, he had been one of the best footballers this term, racking up four goals and four assists before his injury.
There are also legendary veterans, such as Santi Cazorla and Lucas Pérez, who have had their moments. The former scored his first goal since returning to boyhood club Real Oviedo, netting that memorable strike against Racing Club Ferrol, while the latter conjured up a spectacular hat-trick away at his former club Cádiz CF at the Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla, with the crowd even applauding the current RC Deportivo striker for his performance.
It has been a great start to the campaign and now the second half of the season promises even more thrills. It’ll be fascinating to see which three clubs emerge from this competitive division to win promotion to LALIGA EA SPORTS.