Rayo Vallecano vs Espanyol - prediction, team news, lineups

After sealing their spot successful the Conference League semi-finals, Rayo Vallecano instrumentality to home enactment with a La Liga location clash against Espanyol connected Thursday.

The hosts are sitting successful 15th spot in the Spanish apical flight, portion the visitors are 3 points amended disconnected successful 12th position. 

Match preview

Rayo person had a week to bespeak upon 1 of the biggest moments of their past aft sealing their spot successful the past 4 of European contention for the precise archetypal time. 

Los Franjirrojos travelled to Greece with a three-goal pb from the archetypal limb of their Conference League quarter-final necktie against AEK Athens, lone to concede 3 times successful conscionable implicit 50 minutes astatine the Allwyn Arena.

But conscionable arsenic it seemed arsenic though the necktie was swinging successful AEK's favour, Isi Palazon scored what proved to beryllium the decisive goal, sealing a 4-3 aggregate win to acceptable up a semi-final clash against French broadside Strasbourg.

While they are dreaming of winning their archetypal large trophy, Rayo inactive person enactment to bash to widen their five-season enactment successful the apical flight, with 3 points separating them from the driblet portion up of Thursday's location gathering with Espanyol.

Los Franjirrojos volition beryllium hoping to assertion their archetypal head-to-head triumph since prevailing by a 2-0 scoreline astatine the RCDE Stadium successful August 2022.

They volition astatine slightest fancy their chances of picking up a affirmative result, having mislaid conscionable 1 of their erstwhile 12 league outings astatine Vallecas (W5, D6).

Espanyol whitethorn beryllium sitting six points wide of the driblet zone, but they volition inactive beryllium nervously looking implicit their enarthrosis aft failing to triumph immoderate of their 14 league games successful 2026.

In fact, nary squad has mustered less points (5) successful the calendar twelvemonth than Manolo Gonzalez's side.

Espanyol caput to Madrid connected the backmost of 3 losses successful their past 4 La Liga outings, including a heavy 4-1 defeat successful their caller derby clash against leaders Barcelona.

The effect astatine the Camp Nou represented the 4th clip successful the past 7 distant games wherever Espanyol person shipped 3 goals oregon more. 

They were capable to nutrient a beardown antiaircraft show successful the reverse fixture against Rayo successful December, erstwhile Roberto Fernandez's first-half punishment proved capable to seal a 1-0 victory.

Thursday's visitors volition person fond memories of their past 2 trips to Vallecas, wherever they picked up a constrictive 2-1 triumph successful May 2023 and a resounding 4-0 triumph successful April 2025.

Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:

W D D L W L 

Rayo Vallecano signifier (all competitions):

L L W W L L 

Espanyol La Liga form:

D D L L D L 

Team News

Rayo are incapable to telephone the antiaircraft duo of Florian Lejeune and Nobel Mendy, with the brace acceptable to service one-match bans for an accumulation of yellowish cards.

Defender Luiz Felipe and guardant Alvaro Garcia are battling to beryllium their fittingness successful clip for Thursday’s location clash.

Fran Perez could instrumentality to the matchday squad aft returning to squad grooming pursuing a four-match wounded absence.

As for the visitors, attacker Javi Puado is continuing to enactment connected his rehabilitation from an anterior cruciate ligament injury. 

Urko González de Zarate volition implicit a one-match suspension aft picking up his 5th yellowish paper of the season.

With Gonzalez searching for a winning formula, Ramon Terrats and Carlos Fernandez are among those who could travel into his reasoning for Thursday’s contest.

Rayo Vallecano imaginable starting lineup:

Batalla; Ratiu, Vertrouwd, Ciss, Espino; Valentin, Lopez; Akhomach, Palazon, Chavarria; De Frutos

Espanyol imaginable starting lineup:

Dmitrovic; El Hilali, Calero, Cabrera, Romero; Exposito, Lozano; Ngonge, Terrats, Dolan; Fernandez

We say: Rayo Vallecano 2-2 Espanyol

Espanyol person tended to bask themselves successful caller meetings with Rayo, but with the visitors inactive searching for their archetypal triumph successful 2026, we deliberation they volition person to settee for a gully against a squad that has proven pugnacious to bushed astatine Vallecas successful La Liga this season.

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