Source:
La LigaRules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored
[2](O) Play-off winners;
(P) Promoted
Albacete were the first team to guarantee a finish of 6th or better, accomplished with a victory over Sporting Gijón on 25 May. Their chance at earning direct promotion ended with defeat to 4th place Málaga on 4 June. The simultaneous result of Granada picking up a point against 5th place Mallorca would have been good enough by itself for the club to earn direct promotion alongside Osasuna. Málaga's victory guaranteed their participation in the play-offs, and Mallorca's draw, combined with Cádiz's defeat to Extremadura, was enough to guarantee their participation as well. After the penultimate match day on 4 June, Albacete had guaranteed a 3rd or 4th place finish and that they would host the second leg of the semifinal round. The final club to confirm their participation was Deportivo La Coruña, who defeated relegated Córdoba on 8 June. Cádiz and Oviedo were both in contention for the final play-off place, but they both lost on the final match day. Mallorca's draw with Extremadura on the last match day was enough for them to finish 5th, while Albacete's defeat to Almería meant they would finish 4th, three points behind Málaga, who beat Elche.
Coming off their relegation from the top flight, Málaga were leading the league in the months of September and October, having won 8 of their first 11 games. Despite losing their advantage on the direct promotion places, the Andalusian club remained strongly in the play-off chase, only falling out of the play-off places on one occasion.
Albacete entered the season seeking a return to the top flight after 14 seasons out. One defeat in eighteen between the middle of October and the end of February vaulted them up the table, leading the league for the first time on 10 February. They remained in the top three for the rest of the season, until their defeat to Málaga on 4 June. Albacete finished with the league's second best offense, and were led by goalscorers Jérémie Bela and Roman Zozulya, each with 11.
Mallorca returned to the second tier at the first attempt after spending a season out of the top two divisions for the first time in almost 40 years. Around the play-off places throughout the season, a late season push of six wins in eight, plus three points picked up from the expelled Reus, helped cement the Balearic club's place in the play-offs.
Deportivo La Coruña (abbreviated Dépor) were also seeking an immediate return to La Liga, and the Galician club established themselves as early contenders with just one defeat in their first eighteen games. However, a winless run from the middle of February to the middle of April jeopardized their chances, and they fell out of the play-off places. They were helped out by the form of promotion rivals Cádiz, who finished without a win in their final seven games, whereas Dépor had four wins in the same period, enough to finish in 6th position with a four point cushion. Both Dépor and Málaga sacked their managers in April, despite both clubs being in the play-off places at the time of their managers' departures. The two clubs also had the league's joint-second best defense.
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