| The hosts will be more tired than their opponents. The reason is the double burden of participating in the Conference League. The eighth-placed team from last season's La Liga already played in that competition last Thursday evening. The 1-2 away defeat vs Slovan Bratislava will still be weighing on the Vallecas players. Even though the visitors will be fresher, we don't see them as favorites. Coach Carlos Corberan's team has been in poor form for quite some time. They've only managed one win in their last eight league matches. Rayo Vallecano have been particularly disappointing away from home. They are one of only four teams in the Spanish top flight who have yet to win an away game this season. The visitors have the second-weakest away attack in the league and the timing of the fixture suggests the hosts won't be putting on an offensive show either. Rayo's home games this season have also been low-scoring. Valencia are winless in their last three encounters against Rayo. Furthermore, the six-time Spanish champions have a poor record against the hosts. They have only managed a victory in one of their last eight league away matches at Estadio de Vallecas. |
