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Paco Jemez took charge of Rayo Vallecano in March in an attempt to save the team from relegation, but he failed to shift their fortunes around. The hosts have a mountain to climb to avoid an immediate drop to second division being as many as six points short of the safe zone with just eight outings left to play.
The lack of meticulousness at the back is Rayo’s main concern as they own league’s weakest defensive record with 54 goals allowed in 30 games so far. Los Franjirojos shipped two or more goals in five of last six league matches.
Given they are up against red-hot Valencia, it’s hard to see any other scenario but the away win coming here.
Valencia made it 17 games unbeaten in all competitions on Thursday by beating Real Madrid 2-1 at the Mestalla. The only real challenge for them now is maintaining a push on multiple fronts. They will be expected to beat Villarreal in the Europa League Quarter-Final that starts this coming week and they also have a Copa del Rey Final to look forward to. With at least four teams in the hunt, they are going to have to maintain their form if they are to get 4th place so Marcelino will have to be smart with how he uses his squad.
As for Rayo, they just need to put three points on the board and it doesn’t really matter how they do it. They’ve let chances to do that slip in both games since appointing Paco Jemez. They were 1-0 up heading into the final ten minutes last weekend against Betis and 1-0 up at Eibar with an hour gone in midweek. A grand total of one point from those two matches further suggests that they are most likely heading for the Segunda Division.
They do at least have a goal in them though. They’ve scored in 77% of their league games this term and 87% of their home matches. That’s pretty good going for a struggling side and both games since the attack-minded Jemez was appointed have produced goals at each end. Backing Both Teams to Score looks to be worth considering here, a winning bet in 80% of Rayo’s home fixtures this term.