Las Palmas vs Rayo Vallecano

Two sides with everything to fight for will clash in a crucial La Liga showdown on Friday night as Las Palmas host Rayo Vallecano at the Gran Canaria Stadium.

Las Palmas find themselves in 18th place, three points adrift of safety, while Rayo Vallecano sit eighth—just two points behind seventh-placed Celta Vigo in the race for Europa League qualification.

With eight wins, eight draws, and 18 defeats from 34 matches, Las Palmas (32 points) are desperate to escape the relegation zone. Their recent 3-2 loss to Valencia was a major setback, leaving them with little margin for error in the final stretch.

Despite their struggles, Las Palmas have shown attacking promise, scoring 40 goals this season—a respectable tally for a team in their position. However, their defensive frailties (56 goals conceded, the second-worst in La Liga) have cost them dearly.

Historically, Las Palmas have had the upper hand against Rayo, winning their last two meetings—including a 3-1 victory earlier this season. However, Rayo claimed a 1-0 win in their previous visit to Gran Canaria.

Home form remains a concern for Las Palmas, with just four wins in 17 league matches at the Gran Canaria Stadium. Rayo, meanwhile, have collected 20 points from their 17 away games this campaign.

Rayo arrive with momentum after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Getafe, courtesy of Florian Lejeune’s early strike. Sitting eighth on 44 points (level with Osasuna and Mallorca), Inigo Perez’s side are determined to keep their European dreams alive.

With both teams needing points for vastly different reasons, Friday’s clash promises high stakes and intense drama.

Rayo currently has a spot in the Conference League playoffs, although they are only two points behind seventh-place Celta Vigo, who would qualify for the Europa League league stage.

Los Franjirrojos have space for improvement after finishing 17th in Spain's top division the previous season, and they are attempting to qualify for European football for the first time since participating in the UEFA Cup in 2000–01.

Although Rayo has only scored 36 goals in La Liga so far this season, they have played a comparatively strong defense, giving up just 42 goals, which is equal to Real Betis, who are vying for the Champions League.

Palmas hopes that Scott McKenna and Fabio Silva will be back from injuries in time for this match, but Kirian Rodriguez, who suffered a cancer relapse earlier this year, is still out.

Sandro Ramirez and Oli McBurnie are both expected to play forward, and Silva may replace Javi Munoz in the latter part of the field. In Rayo's case, goalie Augusto Batalla and important defender Andrei Ratiu will return to the team after suspensions, while Pathe Ciss is now suspended after receiving a red card against Getafe.