Rayo Vallecano head into the final weeks of the 2024/25 La Liga season with plenty still to play for in the run-in.
Victory over rivals Getafe last time out lifted Inigo Perez’s team back up to eight place in the table which will be enough for European qualification.
Due to Barcelona’s success in the Copa del Rey final, and La Liga being granted an extra UEFA Champions League place for next season, the team in eighth will reach the Conference League in 2025/26.
Rayo will likely need to ensure they keep on winning games this month, to keep themselves in the hunt – starting with a trip to Las Palmas on May 9.
Perez’s charge for a European spot for the first time in two decades at Rayo remains in his own hands, but they will also face the teams currently in sixth, seventh and tenth place in their final three league outings of the campaign.
However, their preparations for travelling to Gran Canaria have been hit by an odd setback, following a bold theft at their training base.
The Ciudad Deportiva Rayo Vallecano facility is around 30km from Rayo’s home stadium at the Estadio de Vallecas, and as per reports from Relevo, the first team squad refused to train in their morning session.
The reason for the boycott focuses on a reported theft of boots and other training equipment which has already happened three times this season.
The squad took a stand over situation with demands for better security at the training facility despite an appeal from Perez for them to train.
Rayo’s sporting director David Cobeño and club president Raúl Martín Presa were called to an emergency meeting to try and resolve the matter, and the squad agreed to train fully in the later session, ahead of flying out to Las Palmas tomorrow evening.
