ESPANYOL v RAYO, Wednesday 8, November, 2006

Despite being the undersogs against Real Zaragoza for the final in Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the Parakeets ran out 4-1 winners and ensured that both the league and cup came back to Catalunya. The team’s defence of their trophy did not exactly start in the same manner as only a Luis Garcia penalty in the fifth minute of injury time in the first leg earned them a 1-1 draw at Rayo.
A few seasons ago that mya have been a respectable result when Rayo were taking on all-comers in the Spanish top flight under their wily president Teresa Rivero, but times have changed.
The Madrid-based club are languishing in the third tier and now view a trip to Espanyol as a big day out. It is clear that Ernesto Valverde’s team cannot afford to take their eye off the ball if they want another run in the competition and are not seriously in a position to field a severely weakened team. However, it would chirlish to claim that the home team will not be clear favourites.