Castellón vs Albacete: Segunda División Preview and Team News
Castellón host Albacete in the Segunda División on Sunday, with the hosts aiming to continue their promising start to the campaign. Pablo Hernández's side are unbeaten in six away league matches stretching back to last season and will look to turn that resilience into a statement home performance.
Team News and Injury Latest
Castellón boss Pablo Hernández has a near fully fit squad to choose from, with only centre-back Fabrizio Brignani ruled out. The Italian defender continues to recover from a cruciate ligament injury and is the sole absentee for the hosts. Hernández has favoured a settled side in the early rounds, with Álvaro Marín leading the line and Bernard Somuah offering support from wide areas.
Albacete have not reported any fresh injury worries following their midweek fixtures. The visitors are expected to field a similar lineup to the one that suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Real Sociedad B, a result that will have stung a side that drew 1-1 with Castellón in the same fixture last season.
Castellón's Resolute Form
Hernández's men have built a reputation for being tough to beat on the road. Their six-match unbeaten away sequence includes a 1-0 win at Real Sociedad B on the opening day, a 1-0 victory at Huesca in May, and a 3-2 triumph at Málaga in April. The run also features draws at Ceuta, Mirandés and – crucially – a 1-1 stalemate at Albacete in March 2026.
That consistency almost carried Castellón into the promotion play-offs last term. They finished with 72 points, level with Burgos, but missed out on tiebreakers. The early signs this season suggest they are determined to go one better. Marín has already found the net twice in the opening rounds, and the team's defensive shape – which conceded just once in three of those away games – remains a foundation.
Albacete Looking to Recover
Albacete's recent 2-1 home loss to Real Sociedad B was a setback they will want to put behind them quickly. The defeat exposed some familiar frailties; they conceded 1.45 goals per match last season, a vulnerability that resurfaced as the Basque side scored twice at their ground. On the road, Albacete will need to be far more compact if they are to take anything from a Castellón team that has shown it can grind out results.