Rayo Vallecano will be looking to end a run of three straight defeats in Spain's top flight when they continue their campaign away to Elche on Friday night.
The visitors are currently 11th in La Liga, boasting 31 points from their opening 23 matches of the season, while Elche sit 14th, five points behind their opponents in this match.
Match preview
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Elche's five-game unbeaten run in Spain's top flight, which included three wins, ended last Friday when they suffered a 2-0 loss away to title-chasing Sevilla.
However, their positive form in recent weeks has moved them up into 14th spot in the table, now six points clear of the relegation zone, which has given them precious breathing room at a vital stage of the season.
Elche are actually only five points behind 10th-placed Celta Vigo, which is an indication of how quickly things can change in Spain's top flight, while they have won three of their last four La Liga games against Rayo, including a 2-0 victory in the corresponding match during the 2014-15 campaign.
Los Franjiverdes finished 17th in La Liga last season on their return to this level of football, and they are bidding to secure back-to-back top-flight campaigns for the first time since 2015.
Francisco's side have only lost two of their 11 home league games this term, which should hand them confidence ahead of this match, while they will be facing a Rayo team with the third-worst away record in Spain's top flight this season, collecting just five points from 11 matches.
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Indeed, much of Rayo's success this season has been built on brilliant home form, which is the third-best in the league behind Sevilla and Real Madrid, having collected 26 points from 12 matches.
The capital outfit have enjoyed a strong season on their return to this level, picking up 31 points from 23 matches to sit 11th in the table, just three points behind eight-placed Athletic Bilbao with a game in hand.
However, Los Franjirrojos have not been victorious in the league since December 18, picking up just one point from their last five games, losing their last three against Athletic, Celta and Osasuna.
Rayo are in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, meanwhile, but have work to do if they are to advance to the final, having lost 2-1 at home to Real Betis in the first leg of their last-four clash on February 9.
Andoni Iraola's side, who have not been victorious on their travels in La Liga since September 21, have back-to-back league games against Elche and Real Madrid ahead of the second leg with Real Betis and will be desperate to give their confidence a boost by returning to winning ways in the league.
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Team News
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Elche will again be missing Lucas Boye due to a muscular problem, while Helibelton Palacios is expected to be unavailable with the hamstring problem that he picked up against Sevilla last time out.
Palacios's absence will open the door for Antonio Barragan to start at right-back, but head coach Francisco is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack for this match.
As a result, the likes of Javier Pastore and Pablo Piatti are likely to start on the bench once again, with Pere Milla potentially being joined in a front two by Guido Carrillo.
As for Rayo, head coach Iraola will make changes to the side that suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Osasuna last weekend, with Sergi Guardiola potentially coming in for Radamel Falcao at centre-forward.
Oscar Trejo should also return for the capital outfit in the number 10 position, while Bebe and Mamadou Sylla are options for change in midfield.
The visitors will again be missing Martin Merquelanz due to a knee problem, while Unai Lopez (hip) and Jose Pozo (COVID-19) could also be unavailable for selection on Friday night.
Elche possible starting lineup:
Badia; Barragan, Roco, Verdu, Mojica; Morente, Mascarell, Gumbau, Fidel; Carrillo, Milla
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Balliu, Saveljich, Catena, Rodrigues; Valentin, Comesana; Palazon, Trejo, A Garcia; Guardiola
We say: Elche 1-1 Rayo Vallecano
Both teams will view this match as the perfect chance to return to winning ways, but we have had to settle on a low-scoring draw here. Elche have shared the points on five occasions at home this term, while Rayo have recorded just one away victory, so we believe that a stalemate will occur at Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Rayo Vallecano win with a probability of 41.75%. A win for Elche had a probability of 30.85% and a draw had a probability of 27.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Rayo Vallecano win was 0-1 with a probability of 11.85%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (8.51%) and 0-2 (7.8%). The likeliest Elche win was 1-0 (9.82%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.93%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 7.1% likelihood.
