Football Season Guide

Were promoted last season via the play-offs, defeating Real Oviedo 2-1 over two legs. They had something of a crisis toward the end of the campaign, which resulted in manager Luis Miguel Ramis being sacked, and being replaced by Manolo Gonzalez, who was previously in charge of the Espanyol B team, and he ultimately saw them promoted. Their attack needs strengthening despite the arrival of Veliz from Tottenham Hotspur. They lost Braithwaite to Gremio, who was one of their top goal-scorers last season. They're continually linked with Irvin Cardona, who could arrive before the start of the campaign. Youngster Antoniu Roca has impressed pre-season; he may well find himself in the first-team squad. Pol Lozano could be a boost in midfield, having missed most of their promotion campaign last season through injury. His explosive nature could help them either see out games from winning positions against teams (that simply have better players than they do and thus need closing down) or even produce something from nothing to help them win. Although likely to start from the bench most of the time, he could contribute substantially if he can stay fit. Their defence looks watertight. Adding Romero to their backline as well as Kral in front of their back four should make them very hard to score against. If they're to avoid relegation this season, their defence will play a huge role, especially as their attack is somewhat limited. They're still looking for more recruits. A limited financial position makes it slow progress though. They need more depth if they're to avoid relegation, and they need their attackers to hit the ground running or will find themselves in serious trouble as the season goes on.