Buoyed from their respective wins in European competition, Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis will lock horns in Monday’s LaLiga clash at the Estadio de Vallecas.
The hosts are currently sitting in 12th place in the tablewhile Manuel Pellegrini’s side travel to Madrid in sixth position.
Match preview
Rayo have hit a poor run of form in La Liga, having failed to win any of their last five league matches since claiming a narrow 1-0 win over Alaves on October 26.
After losing heavily to Villarreal, Rayo went on to draw three consecutive La Liga matches against Real Madrid, Real Oviedo and Valencia before falling to a narrow 1-0 loss in last Sunday’s away meeting with Espanyol.
They will at least head into Monday’s fixture on the back of a successful Conference League outing after recording a narrow victory over Jagiellonia Bialystok in Poland on Thursday.
Sergio Camello saw his effort cancelled out by Jesus Imaz, before substitute Pacha Espino scored within a minute of his arrival on the pitch to clinch a 2-1 victory and condemn Jagiellonia to their first defeat of the main draw.
Inigo Perez’s side, who sit in seventh place in the league phase, will look to secure a top-eight finish and progression straight to the last 16 in Thursday’s home meeting with Drita, but first, they must negotiate a tricky league game against Betis.
The hosts should at least take confidence from the fact that they have avoided defeat in each of their previous five competitive games at Vallecas since losing 1-0 to Sevilla in September (W3, D2).
© Imago / IMAGO / Pressinphoto
Betis will be eyeing another victorious outing after winning seven of their previous 10 matches across all competitions (D2, L1).
However, their only defeat in that period took place in their most recent league game against Barcelona, which saw them fall to a 5-3 defeat at their temporary home of La Cartuja.
Los Verdiblancos scored three goals again in Thursday’s Europa League clash against Dinamo Zagreb, with Rodrigo Riquelme and Antony netting after Sergi Dominguez’s own goal in a 3-1 success in Croatia.
That result ensured Betis finished matchday six in fourth place and as one of four unbeaten teams in the league phase, putting them in a strong position to secure a top-eight finish ahead of their final two fixtures against PAOK and Feyenoord in January.
Their current focus will be on putting together a strong finish to the calendar year, with Betis set to follow Monday’s game with a Copa del Rey tie against third-tier Real Murcia and a home league clash against Getafe.
Pellegrini’s charges have avoided defeat in all 12 of their competitive away games this season, and they will be keen to extend that impressive run by ending a three-game winless run in three meetings with Rayo (D2, L1).
Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:
W L D D D L
Rayo Vallecano form (all competitions):
D L D W L W
Real Betis La Liga form:
L W D D W L
Real Betis form (all competitions):
D W W W L W
Team News
© Imago / Sports Press Photo
The hosts are expected to be without the services of Diego Mendez, Abdul Mumin, Randy Nteka, Pedro Diaz, Oscar Trejo and Alemao.
Midfielder Unai Lopez will serve a one-match ban after being sent off for two bookable offences in last Sunday’s defeat to Espanyol.
Rayo have reached an agreement with the Senegalese federation for Pathe Ciss to play against Betis before joining up with his national team ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
As for the visitors, Junior Firpo remains sidelined with a hamstring problem, while Hector Bellerin and Isco are unlikely to recover from their respective injuries in time for the away trip.
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Pellegrini is set to make a number of changes for Monday’s league fixture, with Aitor Ruibal, Marc Bartra, Marc Roca, Pablo Fornals and Cucho Hernandez all in contention to start.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Battle; Rattive, Lion, Mendy, Chavaria; Valentine, Ciss; Of Fruits, Palazon, Garcia; Callo
Real Betis possible starting lineup:
Valleys; Ruibal, Barta, Nathan, Gomez; God, Rock; Antony, Ovens, Richelm; Cucho
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