Rayo Vallecano will take on Real Mallorca on the final weekend of the 2024/25 La Liga season in a match that will have implications in the race for European football.
The hosts come into the match in eighth position but could finish a place higher with a win, and bag themselves a place in the Europa League. However, a defeat could see them drop out of the top eight and out of the Europa Conference League.
Real Mallorca, meanwhile, have nothing but professional pride to play for with a midtable finish locked in.
How the bookies view it: The hosts start as big favourites
Rayo Vallecano are considered the most likely winners of this match with the bookies, which isn't a surprise considering they have more incentive to go out there and claim victory. BoyleSports have priced a home win at 11/20, while a win for Real Mallorca has been priced at 11/2. The draw, which could be enough for the hosts, has been priced at 29/10.
Head to head: Mallorca dominance
Real Mallorca's price of 29/10 to get the win on Saturday looks a superb one when you look at how they have fared in this fixture in recent times. Los Bermellones are unbeaten in their last six matches against Rayo Vallecano, recording five wins and one draw. Rayo Vallecano's last league win against Real Mallorca was back in November 2021.
Players to watch: All eyes on the defence
Neither of these sides is known for their adventurous forward play, with both of them ranked in the bottom two positions for goals scored in the top half of La Liga.
Instead, their foundations are built on a strong defence, which sets us up for a potentially boring match on Saturday. However, that doesn't mean to say we can't appreciate the defensive skills on show.
The linchpin at the back for Real Mallorca is Antonio Raillo. The 33-year-old has been a mainstay at the heart of the Mallorca defence for a decade now, but he has been as impressive as he ever has been this season, helping Real Mallorca to average fewer than one goal conceded per match in the league.
Rayo Vallecano's main man at the back is another player in the twilight of his career, Florian Lejeune. The 34-year-old has even added goals to his game in recent weeks, scoring in two of his last four matches for the club.
Predicted line-ups
Oscar Valentin will miss Rayo Vallecano's final match of the season due to suspension, while Abdul Mumin, Adriane Hernandez and Sergio Camello are all expected to miss out through injury. Real Mallorca are set to be without Chiquinho, Takuma Asano and Abdon.
Rayo Vallecano: Batalla – Balliu, Lejeune, Ciss, Espino – Ratiu, Gumbau, Lopez, Embarba – Frutos, Palazon
Real Mallorca: Greif – Morey, Raillo, Valjent, Mojica – Costa, Mascarell – Maffeo, Darder, Rodriguez – Muriqi
Anything else catch the eye?
As mentioned earlier, this should be a low-scoring match based on everything we have seen from these two teams over the previous 37 matches. Under 2.5 goals has been priced at 4/6 by BoyleSports.
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