Rayo Vallecano visit Villarreal in what is going to be the final game of the 2013-14 season at El Madrigal. Sr. Roig met with fans and stressed the importance of being positive and respecting the fans and players of the opponent. More importantly he wants our club and our fans to set good example for others. However it is one thing to set example and an entirely different thing for someone to following suit when an opportunity presents itself (Atletico..ahem..)
Villarreal scored 5 at Rayo back in January putting on quite a clinic in finishing chances. Rayo was in big trouble at that time but have gotten better since and have clinched safety with 3-4 matches to spare.
Villarreal for their part has a slim chance of finishing 6th (instead of 7th) depending on what Athletic does against fellow Basque Real Sociedad in the first ever Basque Derby at the new San Mames. A win or a draw for Athletic and a Villarreal win would mean that Villarreal can finish 6th if they beat Real Sociedad at Anoeta next week.
The difference between finishing 6th vs 7th
Finishing 6th will give more breathing room for the staff and management to plan the next season, signings etc., as well as the team will be entering in final qualifying round and will play 2 less matches. This could be huge for a small club. Moreover the players will also also get an extra 2 weeks of vacation.
Rayo had quite a revival in the 2nd half of the season. Paco Jemez's men looked good on the offense all season. However in the first half of the season they gave up too many goals. Once they tightened up at the back, results turned positive.
In fact you could argue both teams have headed in opposite directions from their first half's performance. This will not be an easy match for Villarreal despite playing at El Madrigal. One of the positives for Villarreal is that Rayo wont be a parking the bus and even might have a slight upper hand in the possession stats.
Roberto Trashorras, Joaquin Larrivey, Alberto Bueno are the key players to keep track of. Larrivey and Bueno do the bulk of the scoring for the team from Vallecas and Trashorras is the link-up player in majority of their attacking moves. We might likely see old acquaintance Iago Falque in the starting eleven for Rayo.
For Villarreal, Manu Trigueros will be back from 1 game suspension for accumulation of yellow cards. Pina and Oliver Torres are out due to muscle injuries.
Squads and likely XIs
Villarreal
Asenjo y Juan Carlos, Mario, Jaume Costa, Jokic, Pantic, Gabriel y Musacchio, Bruno, Trigueros, Cani, Moi
Gómez,Aquino, Nahuel y Joan Román, Jonathan Pereira, Uche y Giovani.
Rayo
Cobeño, Rubén, Arbilla, Rat, Nacho, Gálvez, Borja, Saúl, Trashorras, Adrián, Baena, Seba, Bueno,
Larrivey, Longo, Falque, Rochina, Perea
Villarreal likely XI - 4-4-2
Asenjo; Mario-Musacchio-Gabriel-Jokic; Moi-Trigueros-Bruno-Cani ; Gio-Uche
Rayo likely XI 4-2-3-1
Ruben; Arbilla-Zé Castro-Gálvez-Nacho; Saúl-Trashorras;Ruben Rochina-Bueno-Iago Falque; Larrivey
Conclusion
It has been a tough 2nd half of the season after a very good first half for Villarreal + Plus the incidents at the last home game and the smoke bomb in the match vs. Celta. It is important for our team to end our home matches on a high with a good win.
Endavant Villarreal! Let us make one last push for 6th.