On Saturday evening, Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Club bring a curtain down on their 2023/24 La Liga campaigns.
Rayo beat the drop despite poor recent Liga formAs the final day of the campaign approaches, Rayo Vallecano, having secured their place in the Liga, could potentially finish anywhere between 14th and 17th place.
Rayo avoided relegation to the Segunda despite winning just one of their last five games in the Liga and suffering three losses in the run.
A lack of goals has undoubtedly contributed to their poor recent results, as Inigo Perez’s team has failed to score in three of their last four outings in the Spanish top flight.
Los Franjirrojos’ home record is decent. They have suffered just one defeat in seven La Liga matches at Vallecas while winning three of their last five games on home soil.
Their recent La Liga home games have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in five of their last seven Liga games on home soil.
Athletic had to settle for a Europa League spotFor much of the season, Athletic Club looked like realistic candidates for a top-four finish and Champions League qualification.
However, an inconsistent run of form from the end of March means that Athletic have had to settle for a fifth-place finish, and Europa League football next season.
A 2-0 home win over Sevilla last time out means that Ernesto Valverde’s team has won just two of their previous seven games in the Spanish top flight.
The Sevilla game was another relatively low-scoring encounter for the visitors, as eight of their previous 11 La Liga games have produced under 2.5 goals.
Athletic have been poor on their travels lately, having lost three of their previous four away games while also conceding at least two goals in each defeat.
What am I backing?Neither team has much to play for in this game, but both will want to end their Liga campaign positively. I can see this being a relatively tight, low-scoring game, so I am backing under 2.5 goals scored.
