Rayo Vallecano will be aiming to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they resume their 2023-24 campaign at home to Alaves on Friday night.
Francisco's side, who sit 12th in the table, have lost their last two in the league, while 10th-placed Alaves will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Valencia before the international break.
Match preview
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Rayo made an impressive start to their La Liga season, beating both Almeria and Granada 2-0 away from home, but they suffered a staggering 7-0 home defeat to Atletico Madrid at the end of last month.
Francisco's side showed improvement in their next game against Real Betis at the start of September, but they ultimately suffered a 1-0 loss, with six points from four matches leaving them in 12th spot in the table.
Los Franjirrojos have finished 12th and 11th in their two seasons back at this level, and they will be aiming for a similar position this time around, with a top-half spot desired but not expected.
Rayo were busy over the summer in terms of recruitment, with their biggest signing proving to be Jorge de Frutos from Levante, while Sergio Camello and Florian Lejeune were also among those to arrive.
The capital outfit recorded a 2-0 victory when they last welcomed Alaves in December 2021, but they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture between the two sides in 2021-22.
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Alaves secured a return to Spain's top flight through last season's Segunda Division playoffs, with the Basque outfit bouncing back to La Liga at the first time of asking following their relegation in 2021-22.
The Blue and Whites have also picked up six points from their opening four matches of the new campaign, but they sit two spots above their opponents here up in 10th.
Alaves suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cadiz in their first match of the season before recording a 4-3 victory over Sevilla in their opening game in front of their own supporters.
Luis Garcia's side then lost 1-0 at Getafe, but they entered the international break off the back of a strong result, beating Valencia 1-0 courtesy of an own goal from Cenk Ozkacar in the sixth minute of the contest.
El Glorioso were also active during the summer market, with their biggest signing, in terms of a fee at least, proving to be Spanish midfielder Antonio Blanco from Real Madrid.
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Team News
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Rayo are again expected to be missing Jose Angel Pozo due to a muscular problem, but the home side are otherwise in strong shape heading into this match.
Head coach Francisco is expected to resist the temptation to shuffle his pack following the narrow loss at Real Betis, although there are likely to be some alterations, with Camello and De Frutos both in line for starts.
Kike Perez could also come into a midfield position for the home side, with Raul de Tomas, Isi Palazon and Pathe Ciss potentially dropping down to the bench for Friday night's contest.
Alaves, meanwhile, will again be missing on-loan Atletico Madrid forward Giuliano Simeone due to the serious ankle injury that he suffered during pre-season.
The bulk of the XI that took to the field for the first whistle against Valencia last time out are again expected to feature from the start on Friday night.
However, it would not be a surprise to see a change down the right, with Alex Sola potentially getting the nod over Xeber Alkain.
Kike Garcia should again lead the line for Alaves, with Jon Guridi and Luis Rioja also playing in advanced areas.
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Dimitrievski; Balliu, Aridane, Lejeune, Espino; De Frutos, Perez, Valentin, A Garcia; Camello, Nteka
Alaves possible starting lineup:
Sivera; Gorosabel, Marin, Sedlar, Duarte; Guevara, Blanco; Sola, Guridi, Rioja; Kike Garcia
We say: Rayo Vallecano 1-1 Alaves
This has all of the makings of a very interesting match, with both sides picking up six points from four league games this season. Alaves have struggled away this term, but they were impressive against Valencia last time out, and we are backing the visitors to secure a share of the spoils on Friday night.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Matt Law
