- Strasbourg have alternated between brilliant performances and poor results in recent weeks
- Rayo have shown themselves to be a compact side who control the pace and excel on set pieces
- The visitors are unbeaten in three, beating Getafe 2 - 0, Strasbourg 1 - 0 and drawing 3 - 3 with Real Sociedad
Rayo have the edge in first-ever meeting of clubs
Rayo Vallecano are 1-0 up on aggregate after winning the home first leg of their UEFA Conference League 2025-2026 semi-final against Strasbourg.
The clubs had never met before in a competitive fixture.
The Madrid club, who are hovering mid-table in LaLiga, have been a long way beyond most expectations to reach this stage in the tournament and remain in the fight.
Iñigo Pérez’s men are a compact, well-organised side with an attacking side that is dangerous on set pieces and clever enough to control the tempo of games. They tend to play their best football after the break when they can wear down their opponents and they showed they have the mental strength to grind out a win over Strasbourg.
Strasbourg have the quality to cause Rayo problems
Gary O’Neil’s side play a similar brand of soccer in terms of quick transitions and using the width of the field, but they are a more energetic and pressing team, which makes them exciting to watch.
The Alsatian club have some quality players such as Joaquin Panichelli up front, versatile Emmanuel Emegha supporting him and creative spark Julio Enciso behind the front two. They have either scored or assisted the goals that have got Strasbourg through to this stage of the competition and, if anyone can get them into the final in Leipzig, they will do it.
Strasbourg are slight favourites with the bookmakers at 1.95 for this second leg, but with Rayo having the aggregate lead, it is a little surprising that they are not shorter in the odds. The visitors are 3.97 with the draw at 3.77, which looks a bit too high considering home advantage.
Set-piece specialist Alemão has the magic touch
Young keeper Mike Penders has made some excellent saves to keep his side in the tie and can do so again if Strasbourg needs to go back on top within 90 minutes. But that would mean extra time in this two-legged affair after the away-goals rule was abolished.
Rayo are full of fight and, while a goal could kill the tie for them, they should be the more motivated side with the fans of Vallecas going wild for this unlikely run.
O’Neil’s team has been erratic, alternating wins and losses. The first-leg defeat came after a 3-2 win over Lorient, while the defeats that followed were to Toulouse, Nice and Rennes. They will probably need to press forward from the start, which could open them up and Rayo will be ready to pounce.
Rayo will try to frustrate their hosts in a similar way to the first-leg, when they kept them at bay in the second half. Isi Palazón is the club’s heartbeat and set-piece master, so he will ensure the danger men are always on the end of the free-kicks and corners that Rayo will be awarded. Alemão’s ability to head the ball into the ground and over defenders makes him a threat in this regard and he scored the winner from a corner in the home leg.
