Villarreal will welcome Rayo Vallecano to the Estadio de la Cerámica this weekend as two sides experiencing completely contrasting lives in La Liga meet as the home outfit look to break into the top half while Vallecano keep on fighting for a place in the top six.
At the start of the season, there would have been no shame in suspecting that these two sides would be in opposite positions to which they currently sit as Andoni Iraola’s men had just returned to La Liga, whilst on the other hand, Villarreal were champions of the Europa League and finished seventh last campaign.
Los tres goles ⚽⚽⚽ en Bérgamo que nos han dado la clasificación para los octavos de final de la @LigaDeCampeones 😏🤩.¡Pasen y vean 🎪🤩!#UCL pic.twitter.com/wHVzGYezzI— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) December 10, 2021
Los tres goles ⚽⚽⚽ en Bérgamo que nos han dado la clasificación para los octavos de final de la @LigaDeCampeones 😏🤩.¡Pasen y vean 🎪🤩!#UCL pic.twitter.com/wHVzGYezzI
Nevertheless, the two sit in completely contrasting and unexpected places as Unai Emery continues to fight for his job as his side sit 13th in La Liga, a place where they’ve been for nearly the entire season thus far.
Here and there, Emery’s men have managed to break into the top 10, but in reality, they look doomed for a bottom half finish if their form continues and no evidence right now is pointing towards them finishing inside the top 10.
On the other hand to that, however, Villarreal did get their performance of the season accomplished in midweek as they managed to beat Atalanta in Bergamo in stunning fashion to advance into the knockout rounds of the Champions League against the odds.
It was expected to be a win for the Serie A side, given they just beat then-league leaders Napoli 3-2 over the weekend and as Villarreal lost to Sevilla on the same day. The Spanish outfit proved their worth throughout the tie, however, and ran out 3-2 winners.
Arnaut Danjuma's form continued with this, as he netted early on in each half as Etienne Capoue also contributed to them leading 3-0 before the 52nd minute. Two late goals from Atalanta spread fear throughout Villarreal fans, but they got over the line in a fantastic victory.
Rayo Vallecano's form continues to grow, and they still sit inside the top six following their excellent start to their La Liga return.
The Madrid outfit are just two points off rivals and champions Atletico Madrid, and with 24 goals scored and 16 conceded, they remain one of the best sides in La Liga this campaign against all the odds.
Villarreal are in desperate need of a win, however, simply just to keep Emery in his job and Forebet predicts they will win here in a game that will see over 2.5 goals.