Rayo Vallecano will be bidding to make it three La Liga victories in a row when they welcome Real Sociedad to Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday night.
The home side are currently 11th in the table, now 10 points clear of the relegation zone, while Real Sociedad sit sixth, six points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid in the race for a Champions League spot.
Match preview
© Reuters
Rayo have eased their relegation fears with back-to-back 1-0 victories away to Espanyol and Barcelona, with the wins all but securing their spot at this level of football for another campaign.
The capital outfit are now 11th in the table, 10 points clear of 18th-placed Granada, while they are just two points behind 10th-placed Valencia and will have their eyes on a top-half finish this term.
Alvaro Garcia's seventh-minute effort proved to be enough to win at Barcelona last time out, and the back-to-back clean sheets will be seen as a huge positive for the club, who had been sliding dangerously close to the relegation zone before managing to put a vital six points on the board.
Rayo's home record this season has been strong, winning eight of their 16 matches, suffering just four defeats in the process, and they will be welcoming a Real Sociedad outfit that have been inconsistent on their travels, winning six, drawing five and losing five of their 16 games.
Andoni Iraola's side secured a return to this level by advancing through the Segunda Division playoffs last term, and they are well on course to make it back-to-back seasons in La Liga for the first time since 2016.
© Reuters
Real Sociedad, meanwhile, will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Barcelona, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's first-half effort proving to be the difference between the two sides.
The Basque outfit are currently in charge of sixth position in the table, sitting three points clear of seventh-placed Villarreal, but they are six points behind fourth-placed Atletico, so it is difficult to imagine them challenging for a Champions League spot in the closing matches.
The defeat to Barcelona on April 21 was a setback, but Imanol Alguacil's side have won three of their last six league matches, drawing the other two, and they will fancy their chances of claiming a strong points total from their next three against Rayo, Levante and Cadiz.
The White and Blues, who finished fifth in La Liga last season, recorded a 1-0 win over Rayo in the reverse match between the two sides back in August, but it was 2-2 in the corresponding fixture last term.
- L
- D
- D
- L
- W
- W
- W
- D
- W
- W
- D
- L
Team News
© Reuters
Rayo will be missing Ivan Balliu this weekend through suspension, while Martin Merquelanz and Esteban Saveljich will again be unavailable for selection due to injury.
Balliu's absence, courtesy of his booking against Barcelona, could open the door for Kevin Rodrigues to feature at right-back, while Sergi Guardiola is expected to return in the final third of the field.
Oscar Trejo was named among the substitutes against the Catalan giants last time out, but the Argentine could replace Unai Lopez in the number 10 position against the Blue and Whites.
As for Real Sociedad, David Silva remains unavailable for selection through suspension, while Mikel Oyarzabal, Nacho Monreal, Carlos Fernandez and Ander Barrenetxea are still injured.
Having not been in action since April 21, the Basque outfit should be well-rested leading into this match, so it could be the same starting XI that took to the field against Barcelona.
Portu is an option for change in the final third, but Adnan Januzaj should retain his spot, while Alexander Isak and Alexander Sorloth are set to feature as a front two once again.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Rodrigues, Maras, Catena, F Garcia; Comesana, Valentin; Isi, Trejo, A Garcia; Guardiola
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Zaldua, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Rico; Zubimendi, Merino, Rafinha, Januzaj; Sorloth, Isak
We say: Rayo Vallecano 2-2 Real Sociedad
Rayo's two recent victories will have handed them a lot of confidence, and they will fancy their chances of picking up another positive result here. Real Sociedad have not found it easy to win on their travels in the league this term, and we are backing an entertaining draw this weekend.
Top tip
Matt Law
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Real Sociedad win with a probability of 39.45%. A win for Rayo Vallecano had a probability of 33.43% and a draw had a probability of 27.1%.
The most likely scoreline for a Real Sociedad win was 0-1 with a probability of 10.96%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.35%) and 0-2 (7.12%). The likeliest Rayo Vallecano win was 1-0 (9.9%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.86%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 12.9% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a draw in this match.
