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The 2022-23 edition of La Liga is back in action with another round of matches this week as Rayo Vallecano take on Espanyol on Friday. Both teams can pack a punch on their day and will want to win this game.
Espanyol are currently in eighth place in the La Liga standings and have given a good account of themselves over the past year. The Catalans held Celta Vigo to a 2-2 draw in their previous game and will look to take it up a notch this week.
Rayo Vallecano were also impressive on the opening day of their campaign and are in 13th place in the league table at the moment. The away side played out a 0-0 stalemate against Barcelona last week and have a point to prove in this fixture.
Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano Head-to-Head
Espanyol have a slight edge over Rayo Vallecano and have won 11 out of the 27 matches played between the two teams. Rayo Vallecano have managed nine victories against Espanyol and can trouble their opponents on Friday.
The previous meeting between the two teams took place in April this year and ended in a 1-0 victory for Rayo Vallecano. Espanyol were poor on the day and have a point to prove this week.
Espanyol form guide in La Liga: D
Rayo Vallecano form guide in La Liga: D
Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano Team News
Espanyol
Raul de Tomas is on his way out of the club and will not be included in the squad this week. Espanyol will need to field their best team against an in-form Rayo Vallecano side.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Unavailable: Raul de Tomas
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano have a fully-fit squad at the moment and will look to build on their impressive start to the season. The Madrid-based outfit is unlikely to make drastic changes to its team aheada of this game.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Unavailable: None
Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano Predicted XI
Espanyol Predicted XI (4-3-3): Benjamin Lecomte; Brian Olivan, Leandro Cabrera, Sergi Gomez, Oscar Gil; Fernando Calero, Sergi Darder, Vinicius Souza; Nico Melamed, Ruben Sanchez, Joselu
Rayo Vallecano Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Stole Dimitrievski; Fran Garcia, Alejandro Catena, Mario Suarez, Ivan Balliu; Unai Lopez, Pathe Ciss; Oscar Trejo, Alvaro Garcia, Isi Palazon; Radamel Falcao
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Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano Prediction
Rayo Vallecano played their hearts out against Barcelona last week and will likely take a more aggressive approach to this game. The likes of Oscar Trejo and Isi Palazon are in impressive form and will want to make their mark this week.
Espanyol can pack a punch on their day but have a few defensive issues to fix ahead of this game. Rayo Vallecano are the better team at the moment and should be able to win this game.
Prediction: Espanyol 1-2 Rayo Vallecano
