Valencia will be bidding to stretch their unbeaten run of form in La Liga to six matches when they make the trip to Estadio de Vallecas on Monday evening to take on Rayo Vallecano.
The away side are currently ninth in the La Liga table, 10 points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad, while Rayo occupy 13th position, seven points clear of the relegation zone.
Match preview
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Rayo have not been victorious in La Liga since the middle of December, losing eight and drawing three of their last 11 matches at this level of football, which is unquestionably relegation form.
The capital outfit were so impressive in the first half of the campaign, though, and look to have enough credit in the bank to avoid being pulled into a relegation battle in the final weeks of the season.
Indeed, a record of 33 points from 29 matches has left Rayo in 13th spot in the table, seven points clear of the bottom three, and they have only lost one of their last three, holding Sevilla and Granada to draws over the last month.
Los Franjirrojos were promoted back to the top level through the Segunda Division playoffs last term, and they are biding to make it back-to-back seasons in Spain's top flight for the first time since 2016.
Andoni Iraola's side have impressed in front of their own supporters this season, picking up 27 points from 15 matches, but they have really struggled on their travels, claiming only six points from 14 games.
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Valencia, meanwhile, will enter this contest off the back of a goalless draw with Cadiz last time out, which left the team in ninth spot in the table on 41 points.
Los Che, who will take on Real Betis in the Copa del Rey final later this month, are unbeaten in their last five league matches, recording three wins in the process.
Jose Bordalas's side have the eighth-best away record in La Liga this season, picking up 19 points from 15 matches, suffering just six defeats in the process.
Valencia finished down in 13th position in Spain's top flight last term, but they are very much on course to improve on that spot this season and actually sit just four points behind seventh-placed Villarreal at this stage.
Los Che, who played out a 1-1 draw with Rayo in the reverse match at Mestalla back in November, are not in the race for a top-six spot, though, sitting 10 points behind sixth-placed Real Sociedad on the same number of matches (30).
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Team News
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Rayo will again be without the services of Radamel Falcao, Martin Merquelanz and Esteban Saveljich on Monday evening through injury.
The home side will also be missing Santi Comesana following his red card against Granada, but Oscar Trejo has served his suspension and should return to the starting side.
Comesana's absence will open the door for Unai Lopez to feature in central midfield, while Trejo could take the place of Randy Nteka in the number 10 position for the home side.
Sergi Guardiola was on the scoresheet in the draw with Granada last time out and should again lead the line, though, with Alvaro Garcia and Isi Palazon operating in the wide positions.
As for Valencia, Mouctar Diakhaby's late yellow card against Cadiz last time out means that the central defender is ruled out of this contest through suspension.
Diakhaby's absence could see Hugo Guillamon drop from midfield into defence, with Ilaix Moriba potentially earning a starting role in the middle of the park.
Toni Lato is also still on the sidelines due to a hamstring problem, while Bryan Gil is out with the back issue that he suffered against Cadiz, so Denis Cheryshev could start in a wide area.
Jose Gaya featured off the bench last time out and should now be ready to return to the first XI, while Carlos Soler, Goncalo Guedes and Maxi Gomez will again be certain starters for the visitors here.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Balliu, Suarez, Catena, F Garcia; U Lopez, Valentin; Palazon, Trejo, A Garcia; Guardiola
Valencia possible starting lineup:
Mamardashvili; Guillamon, Paulista, Alderete; Correia, Moriba, Soler, Gaya; Guedes, M Gomez, Cheryshev
We say: Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Valencia
Rayo's home form this season has been impressive, and they beat Valencia 2-0 when the two teams last locked horns in the Spanish capital in April 2019. Los Che will be confident of winning this match, but we are finding it difficult to separate the two sides, ultimately backing a low-scoring draw at Estadio de Vallecas.
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 Rayo Vallecano win with a probability of 39.51%. A win for Valencia had a probability of 32.73% and a draw had a probability of 27.8%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rayo Vallecano win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.7%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.21%) and 2-0 (7.35%). The likeliest Valencia win was 0-1 (10.4%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13.07%). The actual scoreline of 1-1 was predicted with a 13.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole correctly predicted a 1-1 draw for this match.
