MADRID, 20 (EUROPA PRESS)
Rayo Vallecano face Neman Grodno of Belarus this Thursday (8:00 p.m.) in the first leg of the final round of the 2025-26 Conference League Qualifying Phase. This match will mark the return of the striped team to Europe after 25 years and in which they hope to secure their place in the League Phase to confirm it in Vallecas next week.
The modest team from a Madrid neighborhood is back in Europe, just one step away from confirming its presence in the final round of one of the three UEFA competitions. After a quarter of a century away from these sides, Rayo Vallecano faces the first leg of the Conference's final qualifying round this Thursday against Neman Grodno, a Belarusian team that has had to eliminate three teams previously to reach this stage.
A priori, based on budget, squad, and status, Vallecas is the favorite, but the context of this first match of the tie is somewhat atypical. The match will not be played in Belarus due to UEFA sanctions against Russia's allies. Instead, it will be played at a neutral venue and without fans, specifically the Szent Gellért Forum in Szeged (Hungary).
Rayo Vallecano, after a magnificent season under the architect of this project, Iñigo Pérez, has a great opportunity to increase its international prestige and image, in addition to the significant financial boost that advancing to the League Stage of the Conference would represent.
The most important thing for a club with this philosophy is that it would further engage an entire neighborhood already very proud of its team, but would now reap an incalculable reward for so many years of support from the stands.
In addition to this stage factor, it will be key for Rayo Vallecano to always draw on their superior individual quality, avoiding the potentially rough and tumble match that Neman Grodno, a dangerous team with its physical prowess, will pose. Fluidity over direct play and, most importantly, scoring away from home, knowing that a week later you'll be defending your Conference spot at home—if UEFA approves playing at the current Vallecas Stadium.
Rayo Vallecano has only signed four players this summer, although only Fran Pérez and Jozhua Vertrouwd will be available for this Conference tie. However, the Rayo Vallecano manager will decide whether they start or rely on the old squad, and therefore there are few changes compared to the first La Liga match, in which they beat Girona (1-3), taking advantage of the good form of Isi Palazón, Jorge De Frutos, and Álvaro García.
They will face a Belarusian team whose resilience is one of their greatest strengths. Proof of this is their qualification for the final round, eliminating Klaksvik of the Faroe Islands on penalties after drawing 2-0 in the first leg. Their greatest threat is their Belarusian striker, Pavel Savitskiy, who has won international caps.
Perhaps their recent experience in this type of knockout round and Rayo Vallecano's lack of experience at the continental level are a point in favor of the Belarusians, but Iñigo Pérez's team must be aware that they are facing one of the most important matches in the club's recent history. The great objective and the great dream await, but to achieve it, they must take the final step.
