Rayo Vallecano has the relegation ghost firmly in its grip, although the Madrilenians themselves still believe in a miracle. Then the Sunday evening derby against Real Madrid will have to yield three points!
Rayo Vallecano:
Rayo Vallecano returned to the highest level this year after a year’s absence, but most likely the red and white will return to the Segunda Division after the summer. With only 28 points from 34 matches, Los Franjirrojos is the red lantern bearing of La Liga, so they need a miracle to play safely in the remaining four rounds. However, it does not look like that, given the lousy game last Thursday in the 5-0 defeat at Seville.
The last place for Rayo Vallecano certainly does not fall from the sky. Not only did the Madrilenians get the most goals, they also scored the least of all teams in La Liga. Deep striker Raul de Tomas, with his fourteen league goals, is the only player who regularly managed to get the net going, but trainer Paco Jemez cannot have him on Sunday evening. RdT is rented from Real Madrid and has in its lease contract that he may not take action against his actual employer. The goals will have to come from another Rayo player on Sunday evening, although I wouldn’t know who. The vice club top scorers Alvaro Garcia, Jose Angel Pozo and Adri Embarba do not get any further than a mere three goals.
Real Madrid:
The grapes are sour for the followers of Real Madrid. While arch rival FC Barcelona a few hundred kilometers away is probably still reminiscent of her champion party, De Koninklijke plays Sunday evening for bacon and beans against Rayo Vallecano. After last Thursday’s scoreless draw against Getafe, the gap with vice-leader Atletico Madrid increased to six points, so coach Zinedine Zidane’s star ensemble will almost certainly finish in third place.
For a club like Real Madrid, third place is of course far too low. The early elimination in the Champions League has also hurt the Madrid people enormously. Real Madrid has remained remarkably calm on the transfer market in recent years, but this will undoubtedly change this summer. Los Blancos will indeed have to make various top purchases in order to be able to join FC Barcelona again. The remaining four competition duels of this season are therefore nothing more than refined exhibition games for Real Madrid, in which Zidane can see which players can also be useful in the Santiago Bernabeu next year.
PREDICTION: Real Madrid to win @ 1,52
