Villarreal will travel to the capital this Thursday to face Real Vallecano in the 36th round of the 2021/22 La Liga season.
Venue: Campo de Futbol de Vallecas (Madrid)
Key Statistics
Real Vallecano are winless in their last seven competitive games at home.
The hosts have failed to score over one goal in their last ten home games in all competitions.
They have kept three clean sheets from their last four league games.
Villarreal have won just one of their last six away games in all competitions (four losses and one draw).
The visitors have failed to score in five of their last 10 away matches.
They have enjoyed an average of 57% possession in the last 20 matches
Head to head
Villarreal are the dominant side in this fixture, winning eight of the last 15 meetings between both sides while Rayo Vallecano have two wins in the same period.
Latest performances in all competitions
Rayo Vallecano: D-D-W-W-L
Villarreal: D-L-L-L-W
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano will look to extend their unbeaten run in La Liga to five games when they welcome Europa League-chasing Villarreal to Madrid this Thursday.
The hosts are on their longest undefeated La Liga run since September (W2, D2), and have secured their La Liga status with three games to spare.
They come into this game on the back of a 0-0 draw with Getafe and are now looking to reach their highest finish to a top-flight campaign since 2012/13 when they finished in eighth.
Andoni Iraola’s men are currently sitting in 12th place and can crack into the top ten before the season ends, given that they are just two points behind tent-placed Valencia. And so, Iraola has challenged his players to “keep competing” though and maintain their intensity.
But a win in this game may be too much to ask for the hosts, considering their form against the league’s bigger boys. Vallecano have often struggled against teams in the top half, with their impending survival built on a foundation of bullying the competition’s weaker teams at the Estadio de Vallecas.
They have an unremarkable league home record against clubs in the top half of the standings going into the round (W1, D4, L4) and have failed to score more than a single goal in any of those nine fixtures.
Possible Rayo Vallecano starting line-up
Stole Dimitriveski; Ivan Balliu, Mario Suarez, Alejandro Catena, Fran Garcia; Oscar Valentin, Santi Comesana; Bebe, Oscar Trejo, Alvaro Garcia; Randy Nteka.
Injured: Isi Palazon, Martin Merquelanz
Doubtful: Ariel Saveljich
Suspended: Pathe Ciss
Villarreal
Villarreal will look to get their first win in five games when they take on Rayo Vallecano on Thursday.
Unai Emery’s side have endured a miserable run of form in this past week. They have were sent packing out of the Champions League by Liverpool, and have also failed to win any of their last two league games, leaving their chances of playing in the Europa League next season in tatters.
Their last outing was a 1-1 draw with Sevilla; a result that leaves their hopes of finishing in the top-six at the hands of Real Sociedad given that they come into this tie sitting three points behind the Basque club.
They will be desperate to win this game to at least keep their faint hopes of securing Europa League football alive given that they still have Barcelona and Real Sociedad in the final fortnight.
Possible Villareal starting line-up
Geronimo Rulli, Juan Foyth, Raul Albiol, Pau Torres, Pervis Estupinan; Giovani Lo Celso, Etienne Capoue, Dani Parejo, Francis Coquelin; Boulaye Dia, Samuel Chukwueze.
Injured: None
Doubtful: Alberto Moreno Gerard Moreno
Suspended: None
Prediction
Rayo Vallecano 1-3 Villarreal
