Top-six hopefuls Rayo Vallecano will be bidding to bounce back from successive defeats in La Liga when they continue their campaign with a home fixture against Sevilla on Saturday afternoon.
Rayo are currently sixth in the La Liga table, boasting 35 points from 25 matches, but they are only three points ahead of 11th-placed Sevilla ahead of an intriguing contest at Vallecas Stadium.
Match preview
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Rayo have never finished higher than eighth in Spain's top flight, so there is plenty on the line for the capital outfit this term, and they are currently in a position which would secure European football for the 2025-26 campaign.
Los Franjirrojos actually finished 17th in La Liga last season, so it has been some turnaround this term, with a record of nine wins, eight draws and eight defeats from 25 matches bringing them 35 points, which is currently enough for sixth.
That said, Inigo Perez's side have lost their last two in the league against Barcelona and Villarreal, and they have some tough matches to come, tackling Real Madrid and Real Sociedad in their two after this one.
There are only four points between Rayo in sixth and Girona in 13th, which is incredible at this stage of the season, so it is imperative that the capital side return to winning ways on Saturday afternoon against a Sevilla side that are also in the European mix.
Rayo have only actually beaten Sevilla once in La Liga since January 2012, while they suffered a 1-0 defeat when the two teams locked horns at Estadio Ramon for the reverse fixture earlier this season.
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Sevilla boast a record of eight wins, eight draws and nine defeats from their 25 league matches this season, with 32 points leaving them in 11th spot in the table, three points behind their opponents this weekend.
Los Nervionenses finished 14th in La Liga last term, which proved to be their lowest spot since being relegated at the end of the 1999-2000 campaign, but the team are on course for a better final position in 2024-25.
Garcia Pimienta's side have only lost one of their last seven in the league, while they have not been beaten by a team other than Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid or Barcelona since the beginning of November.
Sevilla were excellent in their last game on their travels, recording a 4-0 victory over Real Valladolid, before drawing 1-1 with Mallorca last time out, which made it three draws from their last five La Liga fixtures.
Los Nervionenses only have three away league wins to their name during the 2024-25 campaign, but Rayo have been inconsistent in front of their own supporters, dropping points in seven of their 12 home La Liga fixtures.
Team News
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Rayo will again be without the services of Joni Montiel, Raul de Tomas, Unai Lopez and Sergio Camello on Saturday, while Isi Palazon will be absent with the issue that forced him off early on against Villarreal.
Jorge de Frutos will also be unavailable due to the red card that he was handed in the first half of the team's last match.
As a result, Adri Embarba and Oscar Trejo are both likely to be introduced into the starting XI, but there should once again be a spot through the middle for Randy Nteka.
Sevilla, meanwhile, will be missing Adnan Januzaj, Akor Adams and Tanguy Nianzou due to injury problems.
Albert Sambi Lokonga and Peque Fernandez are also major doubts with the issues that saw them miss out against Mallorca, so there is a strong chance that the visitors could be unchanged for this match.
Dodi Lukebakio has been a standout performer for Sevilla this season, finding the back of the net on 10 occasions in Spain's top flight, and there will once again be a spot down the right for the 27-year-old.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Mumin, Chavarria; Diaz, Ciss; Embarba, Trejo, A Garcia; Nteka
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Carmona, Bade, Salas, Pedrosa; Sow, Saul; Lukebakio, Juanlu, Vargas; Romero
We say: Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Sevilla
This is a tough match to call, with Sevilla not losing many at the moment, while Rayo will be desperate to avoid a third straight defeat - the hosts have struggled to play their best football at their own stadium this term, though, and we are expecting the points to be shared on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Matt Law
