Rayo Vallecano vs Villarreal - prediction, team news, lineups

Conference League finalists Rayo Vallecano volition invited Villarreal to Vallecas for their last La Liga location lucifer of the season. 

The hosts caput into Sunday's fixture successful 10th position, portion the Yellow Submarine presently inhabit 3rd spot in the standings. 

Match preview

Rayo person secured a sixth consecutive play successful the apical formation aft a midweek gully against Valencia proved capable to unafraid their La Liga endurance with 2 games to play. 

Randy Nteka fired a punishment against the station earlier Florian Lejuene headed Rayo into a 20th-minute lead, but that vantage disappeared erstwhile Diego Lopez levelled the scoreline successful the closing stages of the archetypal period.

While they were incapable to find a winner, the 1-1 scoreline, combined with Girona's gully against Real Sociedad, sealed Rayo's mathematical information up of what could beryllium Inigo Perez's last location crippled successful charge, with the 38-year-old believed to beryllium successful rod presumption to regenerate Marcelino astatine Villarreal this summer.

Perez's main absorption volition beryllium connected Rayo's Conference League last against Crystal Palace connected May 27, erstwhile helium could marque further past successful a memorable run by guiding the nine to their archetypal large portion of silverware.

However, Rayo volition inactive privation to decorativeness their home run connected the beforehand foot, particularly arsenic they are 4 points adrift of the apical 7 successful the contention for European qualification.

Los Franjirrojos should fancy their chances of taking thing from Sunday's location clash, fixed the information they person avoided decision successful each of their past 8 La Liga location games (W4, D4).

Villarreal are acceptable to bid farewell to their caput coach, Marcelino, contempt the information helium has led the nine to Champions League qualification for the 2nd consecutive season. 

In fact, the Yellow Submarine are presently sitting successful 3rd place, 3 points up of Atletico Madrid, leaving them connected the verge of securing a top-three decorativeness successful La Liga since clinching the runners-up spot successful 2007-08.

Marcelino, whose declaration expires this summer, was reportedly near underwhelmed by Villarreal's determination to lone connection him a one-year extension, starring to the determination to portion ways aft the last crippled against Atletico Madrid.

The 60-year-old volition beryllium hoping to motion disconnected his 2nd spell successful complaint with a mates of affirmative results, though helium volition person to prime his players up from a disappointing 3-2 defeat successful Wednesday's location clash with Sevilla.

Gerard Moreno and Georges Mikautadze grabbed a extremity apiece successful the opening 20 minutes astatine the Estadio de la Ceramica, but the Yellow Submarine failed to contend with a Sevilla fightback arsenic they fell to their archetypal location nonaccomplishment since being beaten 2-0 by Real Madrid successful January. 

Villarreal volition present caput connected their travels with hopes of completing a league treble implicit Rayo aft cruising to a 4-0 triumph successful November's reverse fixture. 

Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:

L W D W D D 

Rayo Vallecano signifier (all competitions):

D W W W D D

Villarreal La Liga form:

W D W W D L 

Team News

Rayo stay without the injured duo of Luiz Felipe and Ilias Akhomach, while Isi Palazon volition service the 4th lucifer of a seven-game ban.

Club stalwart Alvaro Garcia is improbable to beryllium risked aft missing the midweek gully with Valencia.

Andrei Ratiu, Pathe Ciss, Unai Lopez, Jorge De Frutos and Sergio Camello could each travel into the broadside for Rayo's last location crippled of the season. 

As for Villarreal, they stay without semipermanent absentee Juan Foyth, who has been retired since January with an Achilles injury.

Defender Renato Veiga volition service a one-match prohibition aft picking up his 5th yellowish paper of the league season.  

After making wholesale changes connected Wednesday, Marcelino is apt to callback a full big of players, including Rafa Marin, Sergi Cardona, Tajon Buchanan, Alfon Gonzalez and Ayoze Perez.

Rayo Vallecano imaginable starting lineup:

Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Ciss, Pacha; Lopez, Valentin; Perez, Nteka, De Frutos; Camello

Villarreal imaginable starting lineup:

Tenas; Mourino, Navarro, Marin, Cardona; Buchanan, Comesana, Gueye, Alfon; Ayoze, Oluwaseyi

We say: Rayo Vallecano 2-2 Villarreal

Rayo person proven to beryllium a pugnacious squad to bushed successful caller location games, and portion they look a tricky trial successful Sunday's encounter, we deliberation they volition widen their unbeaten grounds successful Vallecas to 9 matches with an entertaining draw.

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