Overview
Rayo Vallecano are going through a series of poor performances in La Liga, having not won in the last 5 matches since a narrow 1-0 victory over Alaves on October 26.
After a heavy defeat to Villarreal, Inigo Perez's team drew 3 consecutive matches against Real Madrid, Real Oviedo and Valencia, before losing 0-1 at Espanyol.
However, they will enter the next match in good spirits after a narrow 2-1 victory over Jagiellonia Bialystok in the Conference League. Sergio Camello opened the scoring for Rayo, equalized by Jesus Imaz, before substitute Pacha Espino sealed the victory.
This team is currently seventh in the Conference League group stage and will aim for a position in the top 8 to advance straight to the round of 16. However, first, they must overcome the difficult challenge in La Liga against Betis.
The home side also have reason to be confident, having avoided defeat at Vallecas in their last five official games (W3 D2) since a 1-0 defeat to Sevilla in September.
Betis will aim for the next victory after winning 7 out of the last 10 matches in all competitions (2 draws, 1 loss). Their only defeat was a 3-5 loss to Barcelona at La Cartuja in La Liga.
Los Verdiblancos continued their high form in the Europa League when defeating Dinamo Zagreb 3-1, with goals from Rodrigo Riquelme, Antony and an own goal by Sergi Dominguez. This result helped Betis create a solid foundation to win a place in the top 8 before the last two matches against PAOK and Feyenoord in January.
Betis' current goal is to end the calendar year strongly, continuing with the match against Real Murcia in Copa del Rey and in La Liga against Getafe. Pellegrini's team remains unbeaten in 12 away matches this season and will want to end a 3-match winless streak against Rayo (2 draws, 1 loss).
Personnel situation
Rayo Vallecano will likely be without Diego Mendez, Abdul Mumin, bra bra brainteka, Pedro Diaz, Oscar Trejo and Alemao. Midfielder Unai Lopez will be suspended for one match after being sent off for receiving two yellow cards in the loss to Espanyol.
Positive news for the home team as they have reached an agreement with the Senegalese Football Federation so that Pathe Ciss can play against Betis before joining the national team to prepare for the African Football Cup.
On the away team, Junior Firpo is still absent due to a hamstring injury, while Hector Bellerin and Isco will have a hard time recovering for this away trip. Congo striker Bakambu and Morocco duo Sofyan Amrabat and Abde Ezzalzouli are also unable to play due to international commitments.
Pellegrini is expected to make some changes to the starting lineup in the upcoming match, with Aitor Ruibal, Marc Bartra, Marc Roca, Pablo Fornals and Cucho Hernandez all likely to start.
Expected lineup:
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla, Ratiu, Lejeune, Mendy, Chavarria, Valentin, Ciss, De Frutos, Palazon, Garcia, Camello.
Real Betis: Valles, Ruibal, Barta, Natan, Gomez, Deossa, Roca, Antony, Fornals, Riquelme, Cucho.
The match between Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis takes place at 3:00 am on December 16 (Vietnam time).
