Preview: Celta Vigo vs. Rayo Vallecano - prediction, team news, lineups

Both of these sides will enter the contest off the back of goalless draws, with Rayo picking up a point at home to Athletic Bilbao, while Celta shared the spoils with Osasuna.

Match preview

Celta's recent impressive form has moved them into 12th position in the table on 28 points, with the Sky Blues now only three points behind 10th-placed Mallorca on the same number of matches (24).

However, Carlos Carvalhal's side are just three points ahead of the bottom three, so they are very much in the relegation mix at this stage of the campaign.

Celta have lost just one of their last six league matches, recording three wins in the process, with their last success proving to be a 3-0 victory over Real Valladolid on February 26.

On Monday, Carvalhal's side played out a goalless draw with Osasuna, which made it five points from their last three matches in Spain's top flight.

Celta actually have one of the poorer home records in the division this season, picking up only 16 points from 12 matches, while Rayo have collected 16 points from their 12 matches on their travels.

Rayo have not actually beaten Celta in Spain's top flight since January 2019, although three of the last four league meetings between the two sides have finished level.

Los Franjirrojos have enjoyed an impressive campaign to date, picking up 35 points from 24 matches to sit seventh in the table, just two points behind sixth-placed Villarreal.

Rayo have never finished higher than eighth in Spain's top flight, so they are chasing history this season, and it would be some achievement if the capital outfit managed to claim a European finish.

Andoni Iraola's side have not been victorious in La Liga since the start of February, though, only picking up three points from their last four matches, including a goalless draw with Athletic last time out.

Rayo's last away game ended in a 1-0 defeat to Cadiz, and these are the type of matches where Los Vallecanos need to pick up positive results in order to stand a chance of claiming a European finish.

Celta Vigo La Liga form:

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Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:

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Team News

Celta will be missing Hugo Mallo on Saturday due to the yellow card that the defender picked up against Osasuna, but Renato Tapia will be back from a suspension of his own.

The Sky Blues have no fresh injury concerns from their goalless draw last time out, but Oscar Mingueza and Agustin Marchesin remain on the sidelines.

Haris Seferovic could come into the starting XI for this match, but it might otherwise be the same side that took to the field for the first whistle against Osasuna.

Rayo, meanwhile, are expected to have a full squad available for this contest, with Alejandro Catena available once again following a suspension.

Raul de Tomas is pushing to replace Sergio Camello in the final third of the field, but it would not be a surprise to see the same XI from the clash with Athletic last time out.

Alvaro Garcia and Isi Palazon should continue in the wide positions, with Salvi Sanchez likely to feature among the substitutes for the first whistle once again.

Celta Vigo possible starting lineup:

Villar; Vazquez, Aidoo, Nunez, Galan; Perez, Veiga, Beltran, De la Torre; Seferovic, Aspas

Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:

Dimitrievski; Balliu, Mumin, Lejeune, F Garcia; Valentin, Comesana; Palazon, Trejo, A Garcia; Camello

We say: Celta Vigo 1-1 Rayo Vallecano

This is a really difficult match to call, especially as three of the last four league meetings between the two sides have finished level. Both teams will be confident of picking up the win, but we are finding it difficult to separate them here.

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