Rayo Vallecanovs.Las Palmas

The home side are currently ninth in the La Liga table, boasting 16 points from their opening 11 matches of the season, while Las Palmas are 18th, having only picked up nine points from their first 12 games of 2024-25.

Match preview

Rayo have won four, drawn four and lost three of their 11 La Liga matches this season, with a total of 16 points leaving them in ninth spot in the table, only three points behind sixth-placed Athletic Bilbao.

It has not always been the case in recent history, but Rayo have been solid defensively this term, only conceding 10 times in their first 11 games, which is actually better than the top two Barcelona (11) and Real Madrid (11).

Only Atletico Madrid (seven) and Mallorca (nine) have conceded fewer La Liga goals than Rayo this term, and Inigo Perez's side will enter this match off the back of successive wins, including a 1-0 success over Alaves in the league on October 26.

Rayo then thumped Villamuriel 5-0 in the Copa del Rey at the end of last month, but they were not in La Liga action last weekend, with their clash against Villarreal being postponed> due to the devastating flash floods in Spain.

The capital outfit should therefore be well-rested heading into the clash with Las Palmas, and they have picked up eight points from their five home league matches this season, recording two wins in the process.

Las Palmas, meanwhile, posted three straight wins against Valencia, Girona and Ontinena at the end of last month, but they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid in the league on Sunday.

Diego Martinez's side are currently 18th in the La Liga table, boasting a record of two wins, three draws and seven defeats, which has seen them collect nine points.

Las Palmas have scored 13 times in the league this term, which is far from disastrous, but they have had problems down the other end of the field, conceding 21, with only Real Valladolid (24) and Espanyol (22) having worse defensive records.

Pio Pio finished 16th in Spain's top flight last season and are in their third straight campaign at this level, representing their best period since 2018, while four in a row would be their best run in La Liga since 1983.

Los Amarillos have lost five of their six away league matches this season, but they did record a 2-0 victory over Rayo when the two teams locked horns in the corresponding fixture during the 2023-24 campaign.

Rayo Vallecano La Liga form:

D

D

D

W

L

W

Rayo Vallecano form (all competitions):

D

D

W

L

W

W

Las Palmas La Liga form:

D

L

L

W

W

L

Las Palmas form (all competitions):

L

L

W

W

W

L

Team News

Rayo will be missing Diego Mendez and Alfonso Espino on Friday due to injuries, while Abdul Mumin and Unai Lopez are both out of the match through suspension.

Mumin was sent off in Rayo's 1-0 win over Alaves in the league last time out, while Lopez picked up a milestone booking, so there will have to be at least two changes to the side that started their last fixture in Spain's top flight.

Raul de Tomas scored twice in his side's Copa del Rey success against Villamuriel, but it is unlikely to earn him a spot in the XI; Gerard Gumbau, though, should keep his spot in the side for this contest.

As for Las Palmas, Jasper Cillessen, Enzo Loiodice and Adnan Januzaj will be missing due to injury problems, while it is unlikely that Marvin Park will recover from a hamstring issue in time to feature.

Cillessen had to be replaced on the hour against Atletico last time out due to a head injury, and his absence will open the door for Dinko Horkas to start between the sticks on Friday night.

Sandro Ramirez, Fabio Silva and Alberto Moleiro should again feature as the front three for Las Palmas, while Dario Essugo is expected to retain his spot in the middle of midfield.

Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:

Batalla; Ratiu, Lejeune, Aridane, Chavarria; De Frutos, Valentin, Gumbau, A Garcia; Palazon, Camello

Las Palmas possible starting lineup:

Horkas; Rozada, Suarez, McKenna, Munoz; K Rodriguez, Essugo, Campana; Sandro, F Silva, Moleiro

We say: Rayo Vallecano 2-1 Las Palmas

Las Palmas' recent improvement is encouraging, and they are more than capable of picking up a positive result on Friday despite their struggles this season. Rayo have impressed during the 2024-25 campaign, though, and we are backing the capital side to navigate their way to all three points in this contest.

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