Leganes vs Rayo Vallecano predictions and match preview for Sunday’s Spanish Segunda Division play-off Semi-Final 2nd Leg. Read on for the head-to-head and analysis as the visitors aim to finish the job and clinch a Final place.
- DATE: Sunday 6th June 2021
- KICK-OFF: 21:00 (local time)
- STADIUM: Butarque
- COMPETITION: LaLiga SmartBank Play-Off Semi-Final 2nd Leg
Leganes vs Rayo Vallecano Preview
Leganes and Rayo Vallecano meet again in the 2nd Leg of their play-off Semi-Final on Sunday. Lega went into the tie as favourites to progress but they face a mountain to climb after a heavy defeat in the 1st Leg in Vallecas earlier in the week.
It was a competitive derby clash but one that didn’t really explode into life until the final stages. Alvaro Garcia Rivera struck to break the deadlock in the 73rd minute and by full-time it was 3-0 to Rayo with Bebe bagging a brace to put Andoni Iraola’s side firmly in the box-seat in the tie. They will travel across the Spanish capital to Butarque expecting to finish the job.
Nothing is ever certain as far as Rayo are concerned though. They are a team that has played good football and upset the top sides at times this season, but there has always been a bad result or dip in form around the corner. Their final day home defeat against relegation threatened Lugo would have cost them a play-off place had Sporting taken care of their business, but they responded brilliantly in the 1st Leg of this tie only a matter of days later.
Leganes by contrast ended the season by hammering Zaragoza 5-0 at La Romareda. That made it 8 games unbeaten and gave them real momentum heading into these games but the unpredictability of the play-offs was proven once more as they crashed to an unexpected defeat in Vallecas.
Asier Garitano now faces the big task of trying to pick his team up again and trying to find a way to spark a great performance which will be needed if they are going to find their way back into this tie. Garitano isn’t known as a risk-taking coach but he will need to throw caution to the wind here as three goals is a huge deficit to make up in a two-legged tie like this.
Head to Head
- Last 6 Competitive Meetings: 3 Leganes Wins, 1 Rayo Win, 2 Draws.
- Rayo won the 1st Leg 3-0 in midweek.
- They were beaten 1-0 here in the league earlier this season and haven’t won on any of their 3 recent trips to Butarque.
Leganes vs Rayo Vallecano Predictions
Score Prediction: Leganes 2-0 Rayo (Rayo to win 3-2 on aggregate)
Rayo make a habit of making things difficult for themselves and with Leganes very strong at Butarque, you could certainly see the hosts winning the match. However it’s going to be a really big ask in terms of seriously fighting back into the tie and they may fall just short once all is said and done.
LaLiga SmartBank previews and predictions
Mark Sochon is an experienced football writer and editor of LaLiga Expert. Based in Madrid, he has covered La Liga and Spanish football for many years. He also covers Spanish and European football for Goal and Betfred, while his work has previously been published by the Guardian and World Soccer.