Rayo Vallecano – Getafe: Hosts edge battle of two direct attacking styles (1–0)

Rayo Vallecano secured the spoils after a hard-fought LaLiga win over neighbours Getafe. The hosts’ quick offensive transitions saw them create numerous chances, while Getafe’s zonal overloading enabled direct forward moves that might have yielded a different result on another day.

Tactical analysis and match report by David Pugh.

Both teams entered this Madrid derby at the Estadio de Vallecas refreshed after ten days of rest, with no league commitments the previous weekend. Following strong starts to 2025, both sides had suffered a recent dip in form and were looking to return to winning ways.

Iñigo Pérez’s men faced their local rivals on the back of a three-nil defeat away at Atlético Madrid. Sitting in eleventh place with five league fixtures remaining, Los Vallecanos still had the final European spot in their sights, but they could ill afford to drop more points if they were to achieve that objective.

Rayo faced a Getafe side just one place and two points below them in the standings. Los Azulones still needed a win to mathematically secure survival in the Primera División, but also harboured an outside chance of clinching the final European place. For that to happen, only a victory would suffice for José Bordalás’s team.

Pérez made six changes to the side that . . .