Castellón, sixth in LaLiga Hypermotion, and Almería, third, begin their fight for promotion to the elite of Spanish football this Saturday at the SkyFy Castalia. The home team, aiming for a return to the top division after 35 years, comes into the match with high morale following a strong season and a crucial victory against Eibar on the final matchday. Furthermore, recent history favors them, having won three of their last four encounters against Almería.

Castellón's coach, Pablo Hernández, faces the game with significant absences: wingers Brian Cipenga and Awer Mabil are with their national teams for the World Cup, and full-back Jérémy Mellot is recovering from a muscle injury. Fabrizio Brignani and Alberto Jiménez are expected to lead the defense, with Diego Barri and Beñat Gerenabarrena in midfield. Ronaldo Pompeu could feature in the starting lineup, while Álex Calatrava will be responsible for offensive creation behind Ousmane Camara. Pablo Santiago and Adam Jakobsen are likely replacements for the absent wingers. The local fans are preparing a special reception for the team bus at 19:00.

Meanwhile, Almería seeks to repeat their 2013 success and gain promotion to LaLiga through the playoff phase. Despite occupying direct promotion spots at various points during the season, the Andalusian team couldn't maintain the necessary consistency and must now pursue their objective through this route. The squad, managed by Joan Francesc Ferrer 'Rubi', is known for its proactive style of play, dominance in the opponent's half, and attacking approach.

For the match in Castellón, Andrés Fernández is expected to start in goal. The defense will likely consist of Marcos Luna, Rodrigo Ely, Federico Bonini, and Álex Muñoz. In midfield, Dion Lopy and Stefan Dzodic are favored for the double pivot role, with Sergio Arribas operating as an attacking midfielder. On the wings, Leo Baptistao or Arnau Puigmal will compete for the right flank, Adrián Embarba will occupy the left, and Miguel will lead the attack. The stadium is expected to be completely sold out.

The probable lineups are: Castellón: Matthys; Brignani, Alberto Jiménez, Sienra; Barri, Gerenabarrena; Ronaldo, Pablo Santiago, Jakobsen, Calatrava, and Camara. Almería: Andrés Fernández; Luna, Ely, Bonini, Muñoz; Lopy, Dzodic; Baptistao, Arribas, Embarba; and Miguel. The match will be officiated by Luis Bestard from the Balearic Committee.

The first leg of the promotion semifinals will take place this Saturday, June 6th, at 21:00 at the SkyFi Castalia. Live television coverage will be provided by LaLiga Hypermotion TV, accessible through operators such as Movistar Plus+ (channels LALIGA TV Hypermotion, Orange Fútbol 2, LaLiga TV M2) and DAZN.