Valencia will be aiming to make it four La Liga wins in a row when they continue their campaign with a clash against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday afternoon.
Los Che are in excellent form, winning four of their last five, which has seen them rise into 13th spot in the La Liga table, while Rayo are 10th, three points above their opponents in this weekend's contest.
Match preview
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Rayo have a record of 10 wins, 10 draws and 11 defeats from their 31 league matches this season, with a total of 40 points leaving them in 10th spot in the table, eight points behind sixth-placed Real Betis.
Not too long ago, the capital side were in a European position in Spain's top flight, but their recent form has been disappointing, winning just one of their last eight, while they have been beaten in their last two against Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao.
Inigo Perez's side will enter this match off the back of a 3-1 reverse to Athletic, and they have not actually been victorious in front of their own supporters since the start of February, conceding four to Espanyol in their last game on home soil.
Rayo finished 17th in Spain's top flight last season, so there was plenty of room for improvement in the current campaign, and it has been a solid showing from the team in 2024-25 despite their recent problems.
The Madrid outfit have only lost once to Valencia in La Liga since November 2018, and they recorded a 1-0 victory at Mestalla in the reverse game between the two sides earlier this term.
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Valencia have eased their relegation fears in recent weeks with an excellent run of form which has seen them triumph in four of their last five matches, including their last three against Mallorca, Real Madrid and Sevilla.
Los Che have lost just one of their last nine in La Liga, which came against Atletico Madrid, and they currently sit up in 13th spot in the table, boasting 37 points from their opening 31 matches of the season.
Carlos Corberan's side are eight points clear of the relegation zone, so it is very difficult to imagine them being pulled back into trouble at this stage, while they are only three points behind 10th-placed Rayo.
It is not impossible to imagine Valencia finishing as high as seventh if their strong form continues, which would be some achievement considering that relegation looked a real possibility not too long ago.
Los Che have been excellent at home this season, recording eight wins, but they have only been victorious in one of their 15 league games on their travels, suffering seven defeats in the process.
Team News
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Rayo will be without the services of Sergio Camello, Jonathan Montiel and Abdul Mumin on Saturday, but the home side are otherwise in good shape, with no fresh issues being reported.
Head coach Perez is expected to make a couple of changes to the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Athletic, with Unai Lopez and Adri Embarba potentially being introduced.
Randy Nteka will also be in contention for a spot in the final third of the field, but Alvaro Garcia could keep hold of his starting role, with Jorge de Frutos continuing down the right for the home team.
As for Valencia, Thierry Correia remains a long-term absentee due to a serious knee injury, but the visitors did not pick up any fresh problems in their one-goal success over Sevilla last time out.
There is every chance that head coach Corberan will name an unchanged side for this match, including a spot through the middle for Umar Sadiq, with Hugo Duro set to be kept in reserve.
There is currently a host of speculation surrounding Javi Guerra's future, with the Spaniard in excellent form, and he will once again line up in the middle of the Valencia midfield on Saturday afternoon.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Hernandez, Chavarria; Diaz, Ciss; De Frutos, Lopez, Embarba; A Garcia
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Foulquier, Tarrega, Mosquera, Gaya; Guerra, Barrenechea; Rioja, Almeida, D Lopez; Sadiq
We say: Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Valencia
Valencia are in excellent form, but they have only won one of their 15 away league matches this season, and that record cannot be ignored - we are expecting Rayo to be good enough for a point on Saturday, as they have only lost five times at home in La Liga this term.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
