Football Season Guide

Rayo snuck into Europe on the last day of last season to qualify for the UEFA Conference League, only the second time in history they have qualified for European football. In part that was down to a defensive unit which has been further strengthened with the permanent signing of goalkeeper Augusto Batalla after an impressive loan spell and the arrival of experienced defender Luiz Felipe to add depth to the reliable pairing of Florian Lejeune and Abdul Mumin. They were key to making this Rayo team hard to beat, with no team beating them by more than a single goal until April of 2024/25. Rayo's worry comes at the other end of the field, in attack, where Randy Nteka and Sergio Camello both endured inconsistent form at times last season and there have been no reinforcements yet. That could mean more makeshift solutions, like playing winger Alvaro García as a number nine as he did at the end of the last campaign. With only 20 senior professionals in their squad, albeit complemented by some promising youngsters like Etienne Eto'o, son of Samuel, the demands of multiple competitions could be a big ask for coach Iñigo Pérez.