Two teams in strong form will lock horns in La Liga on Friday evening, with Rayo Vallecano welcoming Celta Vigo to Campo de Futbol de Vallecas.
Rayo are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions and are currently in 12th spot in the La Liga table, while Celta, who occupy 11th in Spain's top flight, have won four of their last five games.
Match preview
Rayo boast a record of five wins, seven draws and six defeats from their 18 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 22 points leaving them in 12th spot in the table, seven points ahead of the relegation zone and three points off the top seven.
The capital outfit are unbeaten in their last six matches in all competitions, including their last four in the league, beating Valencia 1-0 before drawing three straight games against Real Madrid, Villarreal and Real Betis.
Inigo Perez's side opened 2025 with a 3-1 success over Racing Ferrol in the Copa del Rey, but their attention is now back on La Liga, and they will be bidding to make it a happy start to a new year in Spain's top flight.
Rayo have performed better on their travels than at home this season, only picking up nine points from their eight matches in front of their own fans, so that is a clear area in need of improvement in the second half of the campaign.
Los Franjirrojos are winless in their last seven league matches against Celta, although both matches between the two sides during the 2023-24 campaign finished in goalless draws.
Celta, meanwhile, were in Copa del Rey action on January 5, booking their spot in the last-16 stage of the competition courtesy of a 3-2 success over Segunda Division outfit Racing de Santander.
The Sky Blues beat Real Sociedad 2-0 in their last league match on December 21, meanwhile, and they have now been victorious in four of their last five matches in all competitions during a strong run of form.
Claudio Giraldez's side are currently 11th in the La Liga table, boasting a record of seven wins, three draws and eight defeats from 18 matches to collect 24 points, which has left them just one point behind seventh-placed Real Sociedad.
Celta have been an entertaining side to watch in La Liga this term, scoring 27 times but conceding 28, and if they can tighten up defensively in the second half of the season, then a push for the European spots cannot be ruled out.
The Sky Blues have finished 13th in their last two top-flight campaigns, but they were sixth as recent as 2015-16, which saw them qualify for the group stage of the Europa League.
Team News
Rayo head coach Perez is expected to reward Jorge de Frutos with a start here after the Spaniard scored twice in the team's 3-1 success over Racing Ferrol in the Copa del Rey in their opening match of 2025.
Raul de Tomas will again miss out for the hosts, while Pelayo Fernandez is a doubt, but the capital outfit are otherwise in strong shape in terms of their squad.
There will be changes from the side that started in the cup last time out, with Unai Lopez, Isi Palazon, Pep Chavarria, Florian Lejeune and Andrei Ratiu among those set to be brought back into the XI.
As for Celta, Javi Manquillo is out of the match due to an ankle problem, while Jailson, Mihailo Ristic and Joseph Aidoo are doubts.
Alfon Gonzalez scored twice against Racing de Santander in the cup last time out and is expected to continue in the final third of the field, with Borja Iglesias and Pablo Duran also in line for starts on Friday.
Head coach Giraldez selected a strong side in the Copa del Rey, but there will be changes for this match, with Sergio Carreira set to feature as the right-sided wing-back, while Ilaix Moriba is in line to return in the middle of midfield.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Batalla; Ratiu, Mumin, Lejeune, Chavarria; Ciss, U Lopez; De Frutos, Palazon, A Garcia; Nteka
Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:
Guaita; J Rodriguez, Starfelt, Alonso; Carreira, Beltran, Moriba, Mingueza; Gonzalez, Iglesias, Duran
We say: Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Celta Vigo
Celta have only won once on their travels in the league this season, but they will be coming up against a Rayo outfit with one of the poorer home records in the division. There are just two points separating these two sides in the table, and we are finding it difficult to predict a winner here, with a tight match in Madrid potentially finishing with the spoils being shared.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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