The visitors are currently languishing at the 19th spot in the Spanish top flight standings, having collected 31 points from 34 games, four adrift of safety.
Follow Us
Espanyol’s battle for survival in the La Liga will continue on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Estadio de Vallecas to take on Rayo Vallecano. The visitors are currently languishing at the 19th spot in the Spanish top flight standings, having collected 31 points from 34 games, four adrift of safety. Rayo, meanwhile, are sitting at the 11th position, with 46 points to their name, four points behind the top seven. Both sides are heading into the match on the back of defeats, with the hosts losing 3-1 away to Real Betis, while Espanyol were beaten 4-2 by champions Barcelona.
đź”™ | Revivimos la victoria de la temporada pasada ante el @RCDEspanyol en Vallecas.#LaLigaHighlights #RayoEspanyol pic.twitter.com/IkpkSx1Htz
— Rayo Vallecano (@RayoVallecano) May 20, 2023
Rayo suffered their 12th league-defeat of the season against Betis last Monday despite the fact that Santi Comesana found the back of the net early in the second half. Prior to that, the Red Stripes got the better of Real Valladolid 2-1 thanks to goals from Raul de Tomas and Sergio Camello. It was their 12th top flight victory of the campaign. Rayo’s form off late has been largely inconsistent, having recorded three wins and three defats from their last six outings. Nevertheless, Franjirrojos have won their last three games at Estadio de Vallecas and they have taken 29 points from 17 La Liga-games in front of their own supporters this season. Rayo have never finished higher than eighth in Spain’s top flight, and with four games remaining, they have a chance to create history, with a European spot well within their grasp at this stage.
Espanyol, on the other hand, are going through a tough season, having won just seven of their 34 league-games to be languishing in the drop zone. The Catalonia outfit would have loved nothing more than to prevent their city rivals Barcelona winning the title last weekend, but suffered their 17th top flight defeat of the season to Xavi’s side, which further increased their relegation fears. Robert Lewandowski’s brace and one goal each from Alejandro Balde and Jules Kounde gave a 4-0 lead to Blaugrana inside the first 53 minutes, before Espanyol scored twice in the final 20 minutes through Javi Puado and Joselu. The Blue and Whites have won only one of their last 11 outings and that lone success came against Getafe towards the end of last month. Meanwhile, Their last six away games in the top flight have ended in defeats. On a positive note, Espanyol have got good quality in their attacking department, with Joselu on 15 league-goals for the campaign and Martin Braithwaite on nine, the onus will be on these two goal-poachers to get Luis Garcia’s side over the line before the end of the season.
Rayo Vallecano probable starting lineup: Dimitrievski, Balliu, Mumin, Catena, F Garcia, Comesana, Ciss, Palazon, Trejo, A Garcia, Camello
Espanyol probable starting lineup: Pacheco, Gil, Montes, Cabrera, Olivan, Melamed, Darder, D Suarez, Braithwaite, Joselu, Puado
Rayo Vallecano
| Opponents | Score |
| Betis | 3-1 (L) |
| Valladolid | 2-1 (W) |
| Elche | 4-0 (L) |
| Barcelona | 2-1 (W) |
| Real Sociedad | 2-1 (L) |
Espanyol
| Opponents | Score |
| Barcelona | 2-4 (L) |
| Sevilla | 3-2 (L) |
| Getafe | 1-0 (W) |
| Villarreal | 4-2 (W) |
| Cadiz | 0-0 (D) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol | 0-2 |
| Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol | 0-1 |
| Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol | 1-0 |
| Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol | 0-2 |
| Rayo Vallecano beat Espanyol | 2-3 |
The La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano and Espanyol will take place at Estadio de Vallecas on Sunday at 5:30 pm IST.
| Rayo Vallecano vs Espanyol | Key Details |
| Date | May 21 |
| Venue | Estadio de Vallecas |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 2:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 5:30 pm |
The live telecast of the La Liga matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, football fans in India can also live stream through Jio TV. Meanwhile, those in Spain can catch the live action via DAZN network.
More football news:
Champions League: What Inter Milan must do to beat Manchester City in final?
Manchester City vs Chelsea: Frank Lampard provides squad update ahead of pulsating tie
