Rayo Vallecano will be bidding to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they welcome Getafe to Estadio de Vallecas on Friday night.
The hosts, who sit 10th in the table, will enter the La Liga contest off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Almeria, while 16th-placed Getafe were beaten 1-0 at home by Real Madrid last time out.
Match preview
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Rayo have struggled to find consistency in the league this season, but it has still been a successful opening to 2022-23, picking up 10 points from eight matches to sit in 10th position in the table.
Los Franjirrojos recorded a 2-1 victory over Elche in their first match after the September international break but were then beaten 3-1 at Almeria on Saturday, which was their fourth defeat of the campaign.
Andoni Iraola's side would move above ninth-placed Villarreal with a victory on Friday night, and they will play another four times before the end of the month, also taking on Atletico Madrid, Cadiz and Sevilla before opening the month of November at home to Real Madrid.
Rayo finished 12th in La Liga last season after returning to the top flight, and the capital outfit will have their eyes on a first top-half spot since 2012-13, when they finished eighth.
Los Vallecanos shared the points in a goalless draw when they last faced Getafe in May, but the home side recorded a 3-0 victory in the corresponding fixture last season.
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Getafe, meanwhile, have won two, drawn one and lost five of their eight league matches this season to collect seven points, which has left them in 16th position in the table.
The Deep Blue Ones have finished 15th in their last two La Liga campaigns, while they have been a top-flight side since earning promotion back to this level in 2016-17.
Getafe won back-to-back matches against Real Sociedad and Osasuna in the middle of September, but they have lost their two games in October, going down 3-2 at home to Getafe before losing to Real Madrid.
Quique Sanchez Flores's side gave a strong account of themselves in the clash with the champions last weekend but were beaten by an early header from Eder Militao.
Getafe will not want to be near the relegation zone when the season breaks for the 2022 World Cup, and they have some winnable games to come, facing Elche and Cadiz after Athletic Bilbao and Celta Vigo.
Team News
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Rayo will again be missing Ruben de Tomas through injury, while Andres Martin is not expected to recover from a shoulder problem in time for kickoff.
Head coach Iraola is unlikely to make wholesale changes from the side that took to the field for the first whistle against Almeria last time out, but Radamel Falcao could come into the starting XI.
Santi Comesana is also expected to be introduced in midfield, while Oscar Valentin and Randy Nteka are among those pushing to be named in the starting team on Friday night.
As for Getafe, Mauro Arambarri and Nemanja Maksimovic face late fitness tests after missing out against Real Madrid last time out.
Head coach Sanchez will have been pleased with his team's performance against the champions, so it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field.
Munir El Haddadi and Jaime Seoane are among those pushing to come into the side, but the front two of Borja Mayoral and Enes Unal are unlikely to be disturbed for this contest.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
D Lopez; Balliu, Lejeune, Catena, F Garcia; Palazon, U Lopez, Comesana, Salvi; Falcao, Trejo
Getafe possible starting lineup:
Soria; Suarez, Dakonam, Mitrovic, Duarte, Angileri; Algobia, Milla, Alena; Mayoral, Unal
We say: Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Getafe
There is not an awful lot between these two sides in terms of quality, and we are expecting a close game on Friday night. Rayo recorded a 3-0 victory when the pair locked horns in the corresponding match last term, but we are backing Getafe to secure a share of the spoils here.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
