Valencia will host Rayo Vallecano at the Estadio de Mestalla on Monday night for a meeting of the 27th round of La Liga. Valencia who have been at the Spanish top flight division for the past 36 years are currently occupying the 19th position in the league table, fighting to avoid the drop from the Top division. Coming off of a damaging loss against Atletico Madrid in their last time out, this will be another tough match for Valencia as they face a fairly high flying Rayo Vallecano. I fancy my chances with Rayo Vallecano getting a win or a draw against Valencia for the following reasons:

Firstly. The form of Valencia throughout this campaign has been nothing but woeful. It is nothing to count on. This huge loss in form has seen them collect only a total of 26 points so far. They have lost a staggering 14 matches out of the 26 matches they have played in the league so far. That is over half of the total league games. They slumped to a 3-0 loss against Atletico Madrid in their last time out, and they did not put in much of a fight as they lost. Their performance in that match epitomised the challenges they are facing in the league. Rayo Vallecano themselves currently occupy the 8th position in the league standings, and have been generally impressive in the league so far. They played out a 2-2 draw with Girona in their last time out, and they were unfortunate not to have won the match.

Secondly. Valencia have got a number of their first team players unavailable. This must have played a role in their struggles. The veteran defender and leader Gabriel Paulista has been out with injury. Joined on the sidelines with him with injury problems are Toni Lato, Marcos Andre and Jaume Domenech. Rayo Vallecano on the other hand have their full squad available for selection. The Rayo's coach will select the best possible lineup against the depleted squad of Valencia.

Valencia have had their troubles going for a while now which puts them to a disadvantage against Rayo Vallecano. But on a good day, both can be evenly matched on paper. Rayo Vallecano are the clear favorites to win this encounter, with a draw also a likely possibility as Valencia are fighting relegation from the Spanish top flight. They will be putting in a fight.