Larcamón rests starters as Racing thrash Sporting 4-1

Sporting treated the trip to Astillero as a mere preseason formality. Nicolás Larcamón chose not to risk his first-team squad just a week before the league kicks off and lined up a team full of academy prospects, with only Arana, Manu Rodríguez, Nacho Martín, Konrad and Iosifov from the senior side in the starting eleven.

The Gijon side made a bright start: Chris Ferreres opened the scoring from a quick, vertical move that showed the style Larcamón wants to impose. But newly promoted Racing hit back. A defensive error allowed Pablo Ramón to level, and a penalty conceded by Lussenhoff on Arana—converted by the Canary Islands native—put the Cantabrians ahead.

In the second half, Sporting had little to offer. Racing extended their lead with goals from Zabiri and Castellanos to seal a 4-1 result that made Larcamón's intentions crystal clear: save the best for the final warm-up against Valladolid at El Molinón. Players like Konrad, Iosifov and the now-recovered Nacho Martín got valuable minutes.