La Liga preview and odds: Rayo Vallecano vs Real Sociedad

Published on: 02/01/2016

La Liga preview and odds: Rayo Vallecano vs Real Sociedad

January 03, 2016 11:00am - Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas

La Liga

After five defeats on the bounce, Rayo Vallecano will be desperate for a positive result on Sunday morning when they welcome fellow strugglers Real Sociedad to Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas in La Liga.

No points since November for Rayo

Rayo Vallecano currently have the worst form of any team in the Spanish top flight. A run of five straight defeats has seen them plummet to 19th in the table with 17 games played.

Last time out, they were beaten at home after conceding two late goals in a hard-fought contest against Atletico Madrid. Prior to that, they were thrashed 10-2 away at Real Madrid, in a game in which they competed well before being reduced to nine men.

Rayo boss Paco Jemez was only recently touted as successor to Vincente del Bosque as coach of the Spanish national team, but his focus now will be on retaining his clubs top-flight status for a fifth straight season.

La Real adapting to changes

Following the dismissal of David Moyes, the Real Sociedad players are still coming to terms with a completely different style of play as well as new training methods under new Coach Eusebio. The changes have yet to reap too many rewards on the pitch, with the club still just two points clear of the relegation positions with 17 games played.

In his five games in charge, Eusebio has led the Basque Country side to two wins, one draw and three defeats. However, all three defeats came against teams currently in the top four. Last time out, they put in a strong display despite being beaten 3-1 away to Real Madrid.

Team news

Rayo will be without Razvan Rat for several weeks, while Patrick Ebert and Toño will both miss the remainder of the campaign.

Meanwhile, the visitors have been hampered by injuries to Sergio Canales and Agirretxe who join Granero, Joseba Zaldua, Mikel Gonzalez, David Zurutuza and Raul Navas on the sick list.

Recent form (League)

Rayo Vallecano: LLLLL

Real Sociedad: LLDWL

Betting odds and tips

Rayo are in not in good form but La Real have lost two in a row and will be without their main goal threat Agirretxe. With both sides far from their best, the draw looks like the best bet at a price of 23/10 with Bet365.

By Neil Morris

Published on: 02/01/2016

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (02/01/2016 15:21:41) but are subject to change.