The hopes of “Rayo Vallecano” for European football in the next season melted away like the first snow over the weekend when they suffered a 1-2 defeat to “Real Sociedad”. Finishing the round in ninth place, seven points behind the representatives of the top six, coach Andoni Iraola said his team “cannot afford” to repeat their mistakes after this loss in the future. Moreover, this unsuccessful match extended their streak of one win in their last ten games. Nevertheless, there is still a chance to reach eighth place, which would repeat the club’s best result in history, achieved in the 2012/13 season. However, correcting mistakes today is an almost impossible task, as only two of the last 15 duels against the opponents have been won by the capital’s representatives. In 30 rounds, “Los Franjirrojos” have scored ten wins, draws, and losses, which ultimately corresponds to ninth place. Komesana and Falcao are out of the game due to a muscle injury.
In recent weeks, Barcelona has also not been in the best form, but on Sunday they managed to achieve what could have been a landmark victory – the team defeated Atletico Madrid 1-0. This ended a series of three games without a win, maintained their 11-point lead, and brought them their 23rd clean sheet in 30 La Liga matches, the first of which was back in August. Barca hopes that Sunday’s success will give them a platform to reignite their game, with the powerful character of their defense combined with modest attacking statistics that can already bring a traditional scenario. Moreover, the first goal could be key, as five of the last eight away games in La Liga have ended in a 1-0 scoreline. In 30 rounds of the current season, Barcelona has 24 wins and four draws, which corresponds to 76 points and the first position in the standings. Today, Kristensen, Dembele, Roberto, and Busquets, who has an excess of cards, will not take to the football field. More today football predictions from the experts can be obtained from the link provided.
