Elche will be looking to keep their hopes of staying in La Liga alive, mathematically at least, when they welcome Rayo Vallecano to Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero on Saturday afternoon.
The home side are rock bottom of the table, 18 points from the safety of 17th position, while Rayo occupy ninth, four points behind sixth-placed Villarreal in the race for European spots.
Match preview
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Elche have struggled to compete in La Liga this season, only picking up 13 points from their 31 league matches, which has left them rock bottom of the table and heading back down to the Segunda Division.
Los Franjiverdes are 18 points behind 17th-placed Getafe with seven games left, so they will have to win their last seven matches to stand any chance of completing a great escape.
Elche showed some signs of life towards the start of March, picking up four points from two games against Mallorca and Real Valladolid, but they have now lost their last six in La Liga, including a 1-0 reverse to Celta Vigo on Wednesday night.
Los Ilicitanos have finished 17th and 13th in their two top-flight campaigns since earning promotion from the Segunda Division, but they are heading back down to the second tier for next season.
Sebastian Beccacece's side have the worst home record in La Liga this term by some distance, only picking up seven points from 15 matches, winning just once in the process.
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Rayo, on the other hand, will enter the match off the back of a 2-1 victory over runaway league leaders Barcelona, with goals from Alvaro Garcia and Fran Garcia proving to be enough to overcome Xavi's side, who scored a late consolation through Robert Lewandowski.
The capital outfit now sit on 43 points from 31 matches, which has left them in ninth position in the table, only four points behind sixth-placed Villarreal, who have a game in hand.
Rayo finished 12th last season on their return to the top tier, but they are set to improve on that position this term and attempting to beat their highest-ever spot from 2012-13 (eighth).
Andoni Iraola's side have picked up 17 points from their 15 league matches on their travels, and the win over Barcelona made it two victories in their last three games during a strong run of form.
Los Franjirrojos recorded a 2-1 victory over Elche in the reverse match earlier this season, but the league's baseman side were 2-1 winners when the pair met at Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero last term.
Team News
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Elche were without the services of three players for their defeat to Celta and that will again be the case here, with Pedro Bigas, Helibelton Palacios and Jose Angel Carmona on the sidelines.
Head coach Beccacece is expected to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes from Wednesday's clash, but there are likely to be some alterations, with Lucas Boye and Pol Lirola potentially coming into the side.
Pere Milla has been Elche's main source of goals this season, finding the back of the net on six occasions in Spain's top flight, and the 30-year-old will again feature in the final third of the field.
As for Rayo, Radamel Falcao will again be unavailable for selection due to a muscular problem, but Santi Comesana will return to the squad after serving a ban against Barcelona.
Comesana is expected to return in central midfield, but it might otherwise be the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against the league leaders on Wednesday.
Oscar Trejo should again play in an advanced area alongside Sergio Camello, with Raul de Tomas expected to be among the substitutes for the first whistle on Saturday.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Lirola, Mascarell, Magallan, Clerc; Gumbau, Nwankwo, Fidel, Morente; Milla, Boye
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Balliu, Lejeune, Catena, F Garcia; Palazon, Lopez, Comesana, A Garcia; Camello, Trejo
We say: Elche 0-2 Rayo Vallecano
Elche are heading back down to the Segunda Division for the 2023-24 campaign, and this will be a very difficult match against a Rayo side pushing towards the top six. We are actually expecting this to be a comfortable victory for the visitors, who were excellent against Barcelona last time out.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
