Espanyol looks to keep their slim hopes of a European spot alive when they hosts Rayo Vallecano tomorrow. The hosts are currently in tenth place with 45 points, nine back of the last European spot held by Villarreal. They’ll need the teams in front of them to completely falter down the stretch and hope Barcelona beats Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey final. Rayo on the other hand do not have much to play for, but a win could give them momentum into the final three games in hopes of finishing in the top half of the table.
The last fixtures for these two teams both ended in points, but it was Espanyol who picked up all three. After Sergio Garcia (no, not the golfer) scored on the brink of halftime, Mainz scored with just 15 minutes to play. However, Paco Montanes struck with just six minutes to play to seal three points for the visitors.
A goalkeeping howler by Diego Alves gave Rayo the lead in just under twenty minutes over Valencia, but after a Morcillo red card just after the hour, the visitors struck. They would strike via Parejo in a match that finished with both sides on ten men and a goal apiece
When these two teams met last time, it was smooth sailing for Espanyol. A brace from the captain Sergio Garcia and a goal from Lucas Vasquez was the difference for the visitors even though Leo Baptistao equalized after Garcia’s first.
Albeit these two teams do not have much to play for, it’s these encounters that usually turn out to be the thrillers of the season. Look out for a possibly high scoring affair in this one. Also, this fixture has been one-sided towards Espanyol so don’t be surprised if this one goes towards the host.
Team News:
Espanyol: Cristian Alfonso and Manuel Lanzarote are day-to-day with their current injuries. Mattioni Felipe is still out with a leg injury.
Rayo Vallecano: Nery Castillo is back in training after a fever earlier in the week. Leo Baptistao is questionable with his groin problem.