Read our prediction for Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano below. This preview was written by a sport journalist who is specialised in betting tips and predictions. Use our betting tips for the match between Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano and you can increase your winnings!
Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano Prediction & Betting tips
The meeting between Seville and Rayo Vallecano on Thursday evening in the Sanchez Pizjuan is crucial for both teams. The home club is still hunting for the Champions League, while visitors want to grab their last straw in the fight against relegation.
Seville:
The remaining five rounds are all finals for Seville. With 52 points, the Andalusians have Champions League football in their sights, but will still have to squeeze past both Getafe (54 points) and Valencia (52 points). As Sevilla has to beat both Getafe and Valencia in terms of mutual results, the red and white must really score more points than their direct rivals. Seville can therefore no longer afford to lose any points.
Under the new coach Joaquin Caparros, Sevilla was completely revived initially, but last weekend Los Nerviones went to visit direct competitor Getafe with a 3-0 defeat hard on their face. Afterwards, the visitors were furious with referee Mateu Lahoz, who had given two penalties to Getafe and had sent Sevilla defender Sergio Escudero out of the field with red just before the break. Sevilla did not bring the referee, but for the sake of convenience, Caparros forgot to say that his team was very moderate. Especially playmaker Pablo Sarabia was sorely missed. He is incredibly important, so the Seville supporters will be relieved that he is now completely fit again.
Rayo Vallecano:
Rayo Vallecano did not get any further than a scoreless draw against fellow low-flyer Huesca last weekend at home, which means that the Madrilenians are sinking further and further into the quicksand of the relegation zone. The red and white need a miracle to avoid relegation, because with only five rounds ahead they are six points away from the safe seventeenth place. Trainer Paco Jemez, however, does not throw in the towel yet and has full confidence in his maths skills. “We need to score at least four points in the next two rounds,” the coach said. “In the last three rounds of play, we always play against a direct competitor, so it’s still possible.”
The optimism of Jemez is admirable, but the chance that Rayo Vallecano will actually stay alive in her upcoming two duels (Sevilla-out and Real Madrid-out) by taking four points is of course very small. Sevilla-out is perhaps the least difficult game on paper, but the visitors have to compete in Sanchez Pizjuan without the suspended club top scorer Raul de Tomas. Franco di Santo, who was rented from Schalke 04, only took 79 minutes in action on behalf of Rayo Vallecano since his winter arrival, but can now hope for a base place.
Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano head to head matches
19.08.18 LL Rayo Vallecano Sevilla 1 : 4
21.02.16 LL Rayo Vallecano Sevilla 2 : 2
26.09.15 LL Sevilla Rayo Vallecano 3 : 2
26.04.15 LL Sevilla Rayo Vallecano 2 : 0
07.12.14 LL Rayo Vallecano Sevilla 0 : 1