Las Palmas vs Rayo Vallecano

Estadio de Gran Canaria sets the stage for a high-stakes La Liga showdown between Las Palmas and Rayo Vallecano.

Las Palmas’ hopes of avoiding relegation from La Liga took a hit last weekend as a 3-2 defeat to Valencia left them inside the bottom three and three points adrift of 17th-placed Deportivo Alaves, amplifying the need for a win in this fixture. Despite the home side’s dire situation, their survival bid is still alive, with their final three league matches coming against fellow bottom-half rivals. Vallecano’s visit may put the smile back on manager Diego Martinez’s face, considering his men have won the last two H2H meetings, including a 3-1 victory in November’s reverse fixture. Though Las Palmas opened the scoring in that encounter, only dead-last Valladolid (25) have conceded first more often than Martinez’s team (23) this term, highlighting the potential for a sluggish start.

On the other hand, Rayo Vallecano’s quest to secure European qualification has faded away after they only won twice across their last 11 league outings (D3, L6). Nonetheless, the visitors remain in the hunt for a top-seven finish, with only two points separating them from seventh-placed Celta Vigo after a 1-0 home win against Getafe saw them halt a dreadful four-game winless run (D1, L3). As a result, Inigo Perez’s charges can win back-to-back La Liga games for the first time since February, and the opposition looks perfect. Indeed, they’ve beaten all three remaining bottom-for sides on the road this season, meaning they’re in an ideal position to beat Las Palmas in consecutive away H2Hs for the first time this century.