Valencia will welcome Rayo Vallecano Estadio de Mestalla on Monday in the 27th Round of the 2022/23 La Liga season.
Before the season started, the hosts were one of the clubs expected to compete for the top six places after a strong pre-season. However, after 26 rounds of league games, Valencia are deeply rooted in the La Liga bottom three, having lost 14 league games already this season (W7, D5).
So they come into this tie desperate to get a win and pull out of the red line. They will fancy their chances of doing so at home, where they have enjoyed some positive results recently.
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Meanwhile, new manager Rubén Baraja kickstarted Valencia’s desperate fight for survival by toppling two then-top-half clubs (Sociedad and Osasuna) by 1-0 margins in his first two La Liga home assignments.
That has helped them build momentum ahead of a trio of La Liga games against relegation rivals to follow this match. Baraja was also buoyed by the return of three previously injured first-team players during the international break.
Meanwhile, Rayo Vallecano have outperformed clubs better than them this season and have defied the odds placed on them. The visitors were among the six clubs expected to battle for relegation this season. However, they are currently in the running for a top-six finish. They come into this tie sitting in eighth position, eight points behind sixth-placed Villarreal.
Yet, a run of six games without a win ahead of this game (D4, L2) threatens to undo all the work they have put in this season. To achieve that, they have to sort their finishing after failing to score in their last two La Liga away trips, which followed a streak of ten consecutive La Liga away games in which they found the net.
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