Whilst seven sides look to preserve their unbeaten starts to the new La Liga campaign this weekend, both Las Palmas and Rayo Vallecano are still looking to rectify their winless starts when they meet on Sunday night.
The two share three points between them after three games each, but head into this match looking for three points all for themselves, both viewing the fixture as a winnable one against another team tipped to be in and around the relegation battle come the latter end of the season.
Previous meetings
Incidentally, these two met as recently as last month in a pre-season friendly, with Rayo coming out on top by a narrow 1-0 scoreline.
However, this is hardly representative of the head-to-head between them, with Las Palmas dominating previous meetings having won nine of their 20 encounters - the remaining 11 consisting of seven draws and four victories for Rayo.
Still, one has to go back to 2012 for when they last crossed paths competitively, that being in the Copa del Rey's round of 32. Las Palmas were victorious over the two legs, winning their home fixture 1-0 thanks to a strike from Thievy Bifouma, now at Granada, before managing to see the tie out in a goalless draw in the return leg, though they were helped by the dismissal of Rayo goalkeeper Rubén, now at Levante.
This is one of three red cards that have been shown in these two's last six competitive meetings, with cards proving to be aplenty when the two sides clash. Seven were produced in that goalless draw back in 2012, whilst 14 were brandished in a meeting the year prior, Rayo 2-0 victors but also winning the card count with eight to Las Palmas' six.
The referee has reached to his pocket 52 times the last six times these have met in competitive fixtures, with an average of nearly nine cards produced per game, and thus one would expect Jose Luis González González to be busy when he takes charge on Sunday.
Current form
As aforementioned, neither of these sides come into the match in particularly good form.
Newly-promoted Las Palmas started their season with a tough fixture away at Atletico Madrid, but had plenty of positives to take from what was just a narrow 1-0 defeat.
Whilst they will have expected themselves to claim more than just a point at home to Levante the following week, that match ending goalless, a point at Celta Vigo was nothing to be ashamed of last time out, with them sitting pretty in third having won their opening two games, especially considering they were a man down from the 11th minute.
Today's hosts fought valiantly in that fixture, coming from 3-1 down to secure a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw, and will hope for that same fighting spirit to be on show tomorrow evening, though this time helping them find a win.
As for Rayo, they have just the one point to boast from their opening three games, that coming in a goalless draw with Valencia on day one.
Like Las Palmas, they had plenty of positives to take from that result against one of last season's top four, but they could not reproduce them the following week, losing 3-0 to Celta on the road. Last time out, they also disappointed, losing 3-1 to a team dubbed for struggle again this year in Deportivo La Coruna.
Key players
Both these teams will relish this match on Sunday as it gives them a chance to come out and play football, instead of having to play on the counter, as they will have to do for the majority of the season, both being smaller sides in the division. Thus, their attacking players will be key on Sunday, with Nabil El Zhar one of these for the hosts.
The former Liverpool man showed glimpses of what he has in his locker in his four years with Levante, and his creativity will be necessary going forward if young striker Sergio Araujo is to be supplied with the service needed to allow him to add to his one goal this season already.
At the other end, the experience of Paraguay international left-back Antolín Alcáraz will be crucial in helping the side improve on the three goals they leaked last time out.
The former Everton man found chances hard to come by in England, being the understudy to Leighton Baines, but showed what he could do when given game time, learning to get forward and back effectively from the England international whilst at Goodison Park. Having made a summer switch from the Toffees to Spain, he has played every minute so far for Las Palmas and is proving to be a big player for the newly-promoted side.
Rayo's main man going forward, on the other hand, will be former Swansea City man Pablo Hernández. The Spaniard left Wales last year for spells in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, but returned to one of the big leagues this summer and showed that he can still play at this level in his performance against Deportivo last time out.
Though he is lacking a bit of match fitness and sharpness, unable to really influence the game as he may have liked in that defeat, Hernández showed at times exactly why Rayo have brought him in and they will expect more of him in this fixture.
Defensively, Rayo may not be the best, but they have one of the best stoppers in the league behind their back four in Juan Carlos. The 27-year-old turned a few heads at Cordoba last season and, following their relegation, chose to return to his boyhood club, where he only made one league appearance for the first team in his first spell at the beginning of the decade.
However, with number one choice Toño suspended, he has been afforded an opportunity to impress to earn the chance to play a much greater role this time and has displayed his fantastic reflexes and shot-stopping abilities numerous times in his two games so far.
Nonetheless, Juan Carlos has hardly been helped by his defence since returning, conceding six goals already. Whether or not Paco Jémez will see it fit to rotate things at the back, introducing the experience of players like Chechu Dorado and Răzvan Raţ is currently unclear, but other veterans, such as Antonio Amaya, certainly need to step up and take charge regardless.
Team news
As aforementioned, both sides will be expected to play football a little more in this much, afforded the freedom to do so against a similarly small opponent. Thus, one would anticipate changes in personnel and tactics from both teams.
This was seen from Las Palmas in week two, with them switching from the 5-4-1 formation against Atletico, which was more suitable for a counter-attack and defending, to a 5-3-2 against Levante, meaning more firepower going forward.
However, against Celta, the team dropped to a back four in a 4-4-2, which, along with the fact they were reduced to 10 men of course, is likely to have contributed to the fact that the team conceded three goals in that game, compared to just the one leaked in their opening two games combined. Thus, the team are likely to revert back to five on Sunday, especially since the wing-backs give them added threat going forward.
In terms of personnel, with the suspended Varas unavailable, Raúl Lizoáin will step in for his fellow 'keeper, as he did off the bench last time out.
Rayo have also tinkered with their formation this season, but seem to be set on a 4-2-3-1 for now, having deployed their starting 11 in this in their previous two matches, as opposed to the 4-4-2 that they used in their opening game with Valencia.
They too are dealing with a goalkeeping suspension, Toño having been dismissed in the second game of the season away at Celta, and so Juan Carlos will again deputise in between the sticks.
This match will also signify the start of Patrick Ebert's four match ban after the German midfielder was sent off against Deportivo. The former Hertha BSC man had already been booked, but was shown a straight red card by referee De Burgos Bengoetxea after addressing him with abusive language.
The situation was reviewed and now it has been confirmed that Ebert has been issued a four match suspension, with the Argentine Luis Fariña expected to replace him in the middle of the park.
Though both have injury problems in their squads, none of the concerns are fresh ones.
Prediction
With both teams desperate for victory and seeing this as a perfect opportunity to grab one, one does not anticipate a draw on Sunday evening, despite these being two rather evenly-matched teams.
Las Palmas have shown more encouraging signs than Rayo recently, especially in their last outing, and, with a home crowd behind them too, should really put their winless start to an end this time out.
Rayo will certain miss key man Ebert and Las Palmas will look to capitalise on this, as well as the fact that the side are low in confidence.
The hosts, on the other hand, will be boosted by that tremendous point against Celta and can use this to record all three on Sunday.