Girona and Rayo Vallecano will be fighting for a place in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey when they meet at Estadio Municipal de Montilivi on Wednesday evening.
Girona have only made it to the last eight of Spain's main domestic cup once in their entire history, while Rayo Vallecano have never reached the final.
Match preview
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With Real Madrid absent from La Liga duties as Carlo Ancelotti's side romped to a 4-1 thrashing of Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Girona moved back to the top of La Liga by claiming a 0-0 draw away to Almeria.
Head coach Michel and his players would have been hoping for more against the divison's rock-bottom side, who have failed to win any of their opening 20 league games this season. Yet Girona were surprisingly lackluster at Estadio Mediterraneo, and were perhaps slightly fortunate to avoid an embarrassing defeat as a result.
Indeed, Almeria mustered 20 shots compared to Girona's paltry five efforts, with only one of these hitting the target. This was only the second time that Girona had failed to find the back of the net in the league this season after their 3-0 defeat at home to Real Madrid in late September, and Michel will desperately be hoping it was a blip rather than a sign of regression to come.
As such, Wednesday's cup tie against Rayo Vallecano could provide a welcome reprieve from the increasing pressure that his players may be feeling from unexpectedly competing at the top of La Liga, ahead of hosting Sevilla on Sunday.
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Rayo Vallecano have been punching above their weight themselves in recent seasons, albeit not to the same extent of their forthcoming opponents. Between 2016-17 and 2020-21, Los Franjirrojos only spent one season in La Liga, and that was when finishing bottom in 2018-19.
Yet they have managed to avoid any real relegation danger since gaining promotion via the second-tier playoffs in 2021, finishing 12th and 11th under their former manager Andoni Iraola. Despite losing the highly-rated 41-year-old to Premier League side Bournemouth last summer, his replacement Francisco has managed to stabilise matters at Estadio de Vallecas.
Indeed, Rayo returned to action in the New Year with an impressive 2-0 win away to Getafe in the capital. This moved them three points behind their opponents in the table into 11th position, and they maintain a healthy eight-point gap in front of the relegation zone, with the added bonus of having a game in hand on the bottom eight teams in the division.
Having reached the semi-finals of Copa del Rey two seasons ago, Francisco will be determined to make history by taking them all the way to the final for the first time in the club's history. However, he will be acutely aware of the challenge in front of them in midweek, especially having already lost 2-1 to high-flying Girona in November.
Team News
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Girona will be without Aleix Garcia after the midfielder's dismissal against Almeria on Sunday. The 26-year-old was sent off 10 minutes prior to the end of normal time, leaving his side's chances of claiming a victory minimal.
David Lopez, Joel Roca Casals, Ricard Artero, Toni Villa, and Eric Garcia are all expected to miss out due to injury. Michel could turn to the likes of Cristhian Stuani, Viktor Tysgankov, and Savio in attack after only using the trio from the bench against Almeria.
Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, will travel without Pathe Ciss and Bebe as they are away on international duty. Oscar Trejo is also likely to miss out due to a muscle strain.
Having not played since their last victory in this competition against Huesca on January 6, Francisco could reward the same starting Xi with an opportunity to reach the last eight. Oscar Valentin and Isi Palazon both scored from the bench after extra time in that 2-0 win.
Girona possible starting lineup:
Carlos; Martinez, Juanpe, Blind, Gutierrez; Martin, Solis; Tsygankov, Portu, Savio; Stuani
Rayo Vallecano possible starting lineup:
Cardenas; Ratiu, Mumin, Pascual, Espino; De Frutos, Lopez, Mendez, Chavarria; Nteka, De Tomas
We say: Girona 2-1 Rayo Vallecano
Girona were surprisingly subdued against struggling Almeria on Sunday, but the fact that they are top of La Liga in January should not be underestimated. Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, have maintained their form from the last two seasons.
This should be an entertaining cup tie between two of Spain's rising clubs, but we expect Girona to perform closer to their peak levels and reach the quarter-finals for only the second time in their history.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
