Sunday evening brings us the 2nd leg of this crucial play-off final in La Liga 2 between Girona and Rayo Vallecano with Girona in the box-seat, holding a 2-1 lead from last week’s 1st leg clash at the Estadio de Vallecas in Madrid.
Girona now return to the more familiar surroundings of their Estadi Municipal de Montilivi for this return leg where the hosts know they don’t need to take any unnecessary risks by committing too many players forward, instead, Girona will be looking to hit Rayo Vallecano on the counter here.
💬 Paraules de @CristhianStuani: ❝Estem vivint la setmana amb molta il·lusió. L'equip està en una gran dinàmica però hem de mantenir els peus a terra. Tenim l'oportunitat de tornar a fer història.❞ pic.twitter.com/FQb3I7mURd— Girona FC 9️⃣0️⃣🎂 (@GironaFC) June 16, 2021
💬 Paraules de @CristhianStuani: ❝Estem vivint la setmana amb molta il·lusió. L'equip està en una gran dinàmica però hem de mantenir els peus a terra. Tenim l'oportunitat de tornar a fer història.❞ pic.twitter.com/FQb3I7mURd
Girona finished the regular La Liga 2 season in 5th place and four points ahead of their play-off opponents, Rayo Vallecano, having put together a strong sequence of results towards the end of the season with Girona being unbeaten in their last eight matches of the term.
Seven wins from these eight matches saw Girona finish in positive fashion while the bigger picture shows Girona won their last six home games on the trot, keeping four clean sheets and scoring 11 goals in the process.
Girona reached this play-off final by virtue of a 3-0 aggregate win over Almeria in the play-off semi-final.
Rayo Vallecano will be disappointed by their 2-1 loss at home in last week’s 1st leg against Girona but if the visitors can grab an early goal then there’s everything to play for in this deciding leg to determine who achieves promotion up to La Liga.
Rayo Vallecano will still feel fairly confident about their chances here as the visitors swept aside the challenge from Leganes in the play-off semi-final, recording an emphatic 5-1 win on aggregate over the two legs which included a 2-1 win in the away leg.
However, results towards the end of the season have produced mixed returns for Rayo Vallecano as they’ve managed to win just five of their last 12 matches in the division.
Although they’ve won their last three away matches on the trot, Rayo Vallecano have registered just five wins from their last 10 games on the road.
In addition, Rayo Vallecano have drawn three of these last 10 away games and they may end up being held to a stalemate at the Estadi Municipal de Montilivi on Sunday evening as well, with Girona needing just a draw to secure promotion.