Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano preview - Jemez eyes winning finish

Posted Saturday, April 25, 2015 by PA

Rayo Vallecano coach Paco Jemez insists only a win will do when his side play Sevilla on Sunday.

The Andalusians are fresh from qualifying for the semi-finals of the Europa League and stand 21 points above Rayo in the Primera Division table. They thrashed the Vallecas club 4-1 the last time the two teams met at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium.

Rayo look to be out of any danger after last week's 2-0 win over Almeria, but the coach said his team's aim now is to catch Malaga in seventh place, and that is why he will only be aiming for the three points against Sevilla.

The coach told reporters at a press conference: "We have only one objective, which is to fight to finish as high as possible in the table. Finishing seventh will not be easy and therefore only a win will do for us and we're going to try to win our six remaining games. We have nothing to lose."

However, Jemez is well aware of how difficult it will be for his side to beat Sevilla, who have not lost at home in all competitions for 13 months.

"It's a very difficult ground to go to, Sevilla have gone such a long time without losing at home," he said.

"They use their atmosphere to their advantage. It would be great to win there, not just because we would make history, but because it would help us move towards seventh. It would give us a huge boost ."

Goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez and forward Leo Baptistao are still injured for Rayo, and full-back Tito is suspended.

Sevilla, meanwhile, will be without Nico Pareja after the centre-back tore cruciate knee ligaments, ruling him out for the next six months. Cristoforo is still sidelined with the same injury as Pareja, while substitute goalkeeper Mariano Barbosa is also injured.

Sevilla boss Unai Emery praised Rayo's attacking outlook, and warned his side would have to work hard to take the three points, in spite of the difference between the two teams in the table.

"They are a consistent team apart from in a few games, when they can leave themselves exposed and sometimes are on the wrong end of alarming scorelines," Emery said in a press conference.

"But over 38 games they do more positive than negative things because they always complete their objectives comfortably. They are a dangerous team to play and I don't expect us to score against them easily. From my experience, we will have to run very hard against them and demand a lot of ourselves."