As if being relegated wasn't bad enough, now we have the surreal spectacle of the B team playing out the string. This home match against Huesca is the first of five matches that mean nothing as far as the B team in toto is concerned, because they have already been sent down to the Segunda B through no fault of their own.
Huesca does not have a whole lot to play for either. Our demise means only the bottom three teams in the table drop down, so our visitors begin the match 11 points clear of Alcoyano with only 15 points yet to be claimed--and unlike in the Primera, there don't appear to be any "miraculous" shenanigans going on to rescue the bottom feeders.
With Jaume Costa able to return to the B team for this match, and Lucas Porcar having served his suspension for his red card against Las Palmas, Coach Velásquez has a full team to choose from.
Our coach could be auditioning for the first-team job, though at the very least we'd expect him to do well with next year's B team in the Segunda B. And as for the players, they have to know that the opportunity is there to play first-team football next season. And, too, there are a few players who haven't gotten much of a chance in the last month or two and might get some chances to play in these remaining games.
This series of games might also give us some sense as to the mood of the aficíon, too. It would be great if the B team is well-supported in our remaining home matches (this one, Recre on Saturday, and Deportivo the first weekend in June). These youngsters have played their hearts out to get out of the relegation zone and into a comfortable mid-table position, and now find themselves going down through no fault of their own.
Our opponents: Huesca defeated Villarreal B at their home ground in December, 1-0, after Kiko Olivas conceded a penalty and received a red card in the 62nd minute. Huesca has been a streaky team--after beating us they went six games without a win, then they lost only one of their next eight. They defeated Numancia, Las Palmas and Xerez recently before going down to Recre last weekend.
Huesca's leading scorer (with 10) is 32 year-old tall striker Roberto Garcia, now in his third tour of duty with Huesca. Sharjah-born Tariq Spezie, ex-Granada, has chipped in with six. Huesca is, to be perfectly honest, a team full of players who have toiled for many years in the lower divisions; it's not a team with a lot of young talent. Surviving another year in the Segunda will suit them just fine.
Villarreal B: Hard to know what to expect here, but certainly players like Porcar, Trigueros, Moi Gomez, Joselu, Toribio, Llorente, Mariño, Lejeune (just to name a few) ought to be motivated to keep up the good vibes from the Mini-Submarine. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though there will be any TV or streams for this one, but hopefully we'll read that the Mini Estadi had a good crowd to see the B team win.
Prediction: Villarreal B 1-1 Huesca.