The rivals of Real Madrid Castilla in the second phase: Badajoz, Extremadura and Talavera

First goal accomplished for Real Madrid Castilla. The subsidiary that Raúl trains has achieved his classification for the RFEF First Division (the new third category of Spanish football that from next season replaces Second B) and will now fight to play the playoff for promotion to Second. He has six games ahead in which The other first three classified in subgroup 5-B will be measured: Badajoz, Extremadura and Talavera. For this second phase, all the points and results achieved in the first phase are carried forward, so the Madrid team starts in third position with 32 points. These will be their rivals (in parentheses, position in which they start the second phase and points that each team drags).

Badajoz (1st, 41 points)

One of the most powerful teams in the category, if not the most, built with the sole objective of promotion. The club fired Munitis eight days before starting the League, drew with Socuéllamos and since Estévez took over the reins of the team on the second day, 10 victories in 11 games led them to be the first team, together with Ibiza, in qualifying for the second phase. Solid in all its lines, the team trained by Fernando Estévez offensively combines a powerful game on the wings and also on the inside. Corredera, with seven goals, moves the engine room with Sergi Maestre. Full-backs Dani Fernández, a Madrid youth squad, and Tomás give depth to bands where the black and white have a wide range of attacking options. And in case something was missing from a team that dominates the games, they are effective on the counterattack. Badajoz passes with a comfortable advantage to try to mathematically seal the playoff with several days in advance. Last year they missed the promotion and this year they are going for it. The rival to beat.

Extremadura (4th, 31 points)

A recent relegation and playoff candidate who has described a road with many curves. The team has managed to stay immune to the institutional storm that the club has experienced. He dismissed his coach, Manuel Mosquera, replaced by José Antonio Ruiz and three games later the club undid the change. The players publicly denounced the club's defaults and the president, Manuel Franganillo, threatened to withdraw the Catalans from the competition. Extremadura, which had had an irregular trajectory, found the formula, finished with four consecutive victories and achieved the pass on the penultimate day, despite the fact that three games before it was in decline. Almost the entire squad has extensive experience in the Second Division and many have also played in the First Division. Pastrana, Rubén Mesa and Kike Márquez, their tricks in attack.

Talavera (6th, 27 points)

It faces its conversion into SAD with a project revitalized by the investment group whose visible head is former referee Muñiz Fernández. This has resulted in a team that has gone from fighting for permanence to opting openly to be in the First RFEF and dreaming in the medium-long term of trying for promotion. Those of Víctor Cea have stood up to the greats of the subgroup, but some defensive errors and a defeat in Villarrobledo (the only victory of the team with the worst numbers in the entire category) have penalized the Talabricenses. Strong from set pieces, Talavera is the team that finishes the most in the group and the fifth in the entire category. He has two players on loan from Castilla, the central Javi Domínguez and the Brazilian forward Rodrigo. Góngora is his stiletto from set pieces and Ceberio the all-rounder in the center of the field.