Rayo, who have not won in Vallecas since September 15, host Celta de Vigo with the aim of ending this bad streak, having had the worst start to the season in eighty years and coming to a meeting with his coach, Rafa Benítez, who is increasingly coming. asking questions.
The Madrid team, after the defeat the previous day in San Mamés against Athletic, hopes to forget that fatal match and give its fans a victory that is important for several reasons, mainly to end the bad league at home and secondly. to continue extending the relegation advantage, their ultimate goal this season.
Rayo, who this week reached the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey after eliminating Yeclano Deportivo, occupy a comfortable position in the middle of the table but want to add three points that will also allow them to get closer to the European zone that it currently marks Betis with 26, seven above them.
For this match, Francisco Rodríguez has the big loss of Uruguayan left back Luis Alfonso ‘Pacha’ Espino, who will be replaced by his natural replacement, Pep Chavarría.
That’s not the only thing new at Rayo because Argentine Oscar Trejo could start in midfield instead of Unai López and Raúl de Tomás, after his goal in Yeclano, could play as a starter at the expense of Sergio Camello.
The opposite is the worst Celta in the last 80 years, with only one victory in fifteen days, it ends the patience of Celta, who fired him a loud whistle after failing to get past the draw against Cádiz in a match where he played 70 minutes with another footballer.
“I’ve been thinking all day to find the key,” coach Rafa Benítez confessed in the preview, in which the new president, Marián Mouriño, continues to trust after signing a three-season contract last summer.
What is clear is that Mallorca’s victory today against Sevilla puts more pressure on Celta ahead of their visit to Vallecas. The team is paying for his disastrous sports planning, without the physical midfielder that Benítez so much requested, without a right back to provide depth and with center backs of the same profile.
Celta’s terrible start in the League is also in contrast to its subsidiary, leaders of Group I of the First Federation after losing the backbone of the team that competed in the Second promotion stage last summer. Celta Fortuna will now, on its own merits, achieve the long-awaited promotion to the silver category dreamed of by President Carlos Mouriño, who next Tuesday will make the transfer of power to his daughter effective at the General Shareholders’ Assembly. The jump to that category, however, will be prevented by the first team if it is recorded during the Centennial season.
For this reason, the clash of Vallecas is a final one for Celta, who next week will host Granada in Balaídos, another direct rival in the fight to avoid relegation. Winning those two games will give Benítez project peace of mind, repeating the eleven he fielded against Cádiz despite Greek striker Tasos Douvikas’ impressive performance in the Copa del Rey.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
