Rayo Vallecano vs Racing Santander Preview: Team News & Prediction
by Alex Lawes ·
Updated
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This could be a huge game early on in the season for the relegation battle in La Liga as Rayo Vallecano welcome Racing Santander to Butarque in Leganes.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV: UK – Premier Sports / USA – ESPN have the exclusive rights to La Liga games in the USA, so any game may be televised on one of their affiliated channels
How to watch online: UK – Premier Player / USA – ESPN+
Rayo Vallecano preview: Thrilling but worrying
Off-field issues have hurt Rayo Vallecano for a long time now and Inigo Perez defied the odds to reach the UEFA Europa Conference League final last season but they may well return to being one of the weaker teams in Spain.
Rayo are playing at Butarque due to the state of Vallecas. They have put in some good performances, especially away at Sevilla and Barcelona but they lost both of those games either side of a 1-1 draw with Deportivo Alaves.
Racing Santander preview: Competitive Racing
After a 15-year stint away from La Liga, even falling into the third-tier in that time, Racing Santander have returned to the top-flight and they have been competitive at the start of this season with one win, a draw and a defeat.
Racing shared a 2-2 draw with Villarreal before a 1-0 loss to Getafe. The Cantabrians then managed to entertainingly defeat Elche by three goals to two at El Sardinero last week, courtesy of a first half hat-trick scored by Yassir Zabiri.
Rayo Vallecano team news: Isi now out
Key man Isi Palazon has been a shining light for Rayo but he is now sidelined for this one alongside first-choice goalkeeper Augusto Batalla and key defender Luiz Felipe.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Dani Cardenas; Balliu, Lejeune, Ciss, Adria Pedrosa; Pablo Diaz, Oscar Valentin, Unai Lopez; Jorge de Frutos, Sergio Camello, Alvaro Garcia
Unavailable: Augusto Batalla (Injured), Luiz Felipe (Injured), Vertrouwd (Injured), Isi Palazon (Injured)
Questionable: Kumbulla (Injured)
Racing Santander team news: Pedro Felipe a doubt
Summer signing Pedro Felipe has suffered a hamstring injury and so he remains a doubt for this weekend alongside fellow defender Pablo Ramon.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Julen Agirrezabala; Alvaro Mantilla, Manu Herrando, Facundo Gonzalez, Jorge Salinas; Ivan Martin, Sergio Canales; Guliashvili, Pablo Garcia, Inigo Vicente; Zabiri
Unavailable: Andres Martin (Injured)
Questionable: Pablo Ramon (Injured), Pedro Felipe (Injured)
Rayo Vallecano vs Racing Santander prediction
Rayo Vallecano have played with a similar level of intensity and energy as Inigo Perez and Andoni Iraola managed to implement at Vallecas but the off-field issues are now seemingly seeping onto the pitch and should affect them this year. Racing have also been brilliant to watch from a neutral perspective with their own fallibilities, too, and so both teams scoring seems a decent bet for this one on the outskirts of Madrid.
Rayo Vallecano vs Racing Santander tip: Both teams to score
