Overview
Rayo Vallecano is having a memorable season when they excellently won a ticket to the UEFA Europa Conference League final after a 2-0 victory over Strasbourg in the semi-finals. Their opponent in the final match on May 27 will be Crystal Palace.
If they win the Conference League, Rayo Vallecano will qualify for the UEFA Europa League 2026-2027 season. That will be a historic milestone for the Madrid team when bringing home the first European title in club history. However, Crystal Palace is still rated slightly higher before the final.
However, Rayo's recent form is very impressive. Inigo Perez's team has won 4 of their last 5 matches in all competitions, including a 2-0 victory over Getafe in La Liga in the recent round.
That result helps Rayo rise to 11th place in the rankings. They are currently only 2 points behind Getafe in seventh place and 5 points behind Celta Vigo - the team in sixth place. That means Rayo still has a chance to win a ticket to European cups through La Liga.
The Vallecas home team also has a fairly stable home record with 27 points after 17 matches in La Liga this season. Meanwhile, Girona has only won 16 points after 17 away trips.
Girona is going through a difficult period in the relegation battle. The representative of Catalunya is currently ranked 16th in the standings, only 2 points more than Levante - the team ranked 18th.
Michel's team is in alarming form when they have lost 3 consecutive matches against Real Betis, Valencia and Mallorca. Goal scoring ability is also a big problem for Girona when they have only scored 36 goals after 34 rounds in La Liga this season.
In the last three rounds, Girona also has to face Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid and Elche. Therefore, a defeat against Rayo could put them in an extremely dangerous situation.
In terms of head-to-head matches, the two teams have met 31 times in history with an almost absolute balance. Each team won 12 matches and drew seven times. In the first leg of this season, Rayo Vallecano once defeated Girona 3-1. However, the representative of Catalonia also won three of the last six encounters between the two teams, including a 2-1 victory right in Madrid in November 2023.
Personnel situation
Rayo Vallecano will not have the service of Luiz Felipe due to injury, while Ilias Akhomach's ability to play is still open before welcoming Girona.
In addition, Isi Palazon also cannot participate due to suspension. This is a significant loss for Rayo as the Spanish attacking midfielder is experiencing an impressive season with 7 goals and seven assists.
Inigo Perez is said to be making some personnel adjustments after the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final match against Strasbourg in the middle of the week.
Accordingly, Sergio Camello, Pedro Diaz, Alvaro Garcia and Randy Nteka are likely to be given the opportunity to start.
On Girona's side, the away team will definitely not have the services of 4 players including Juan Carlos, Portu, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Vladyslav Vanat due to injury.
In addition, Abel Ruiz and Donny van de Beek have not ensured their best physical condition, while Bryan Gil is suspended. This means Girona is at risk of missing up to 7 players in the away match in Madrid.
In the context of a difficult attack, Claudio Echeverri is expected to continue to be in the starting lineup.
Expected lineup:
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarria, Diaz, Valentin, Perez, Nteka, A. Garcia, Camello.
Gazzaniga, Martinez, Blind, Reis, Moreno, Witsel, Beltran, Tsygankov, Ounahi, Roca, Echeverri.
The match between Rayo Vallecano and Girona takes place at 2:00 AM on May 12 (Vietnam time).
