Mallorca vs Rayo Vallecano preview - Caparros hopes to make some noise

Posted Wednesday, May 02, 2012 by PA

Real Mallorca coach Joaquin Caparros believes his side can start to put fear into their rivals for the European places if they can win their third Primera Division match on the spin against Rayo Vallecano.

Despite a largely inconsistent season, Mallorca remain in touching distance of a Europa League berth and three points at home could vault them into the thick of the action.

Back-to-back wins over Real Zaragoza and Getafe have left Caparros' charges in 10th, just three points shy of sixth place and a Europa League berth with three games remaining.

Caparros concedes it has been a stealthy run on the top six so far, but expects the teams around them to sit up and take notice if the winning trend continues.

"So far we have tried not to make too much noise," he said on club website rcdmallorca.es.

"Quietly, we'll see if we can have a good game.

"If we succeed, we will begin to make some noise.

"If we get a positive result, people will believe more can be achieved.

"It is a very important game."

Rayo are on a miserable four-game losing streak that reached its nadir with a 7-0 mauling against Barcelona at the weekend, but Caparros fears they could be all the more dangerous for their humiliation at the hands of Lionel Messi and company.

"It's a team that I know well, their coach will motivate them," he said.

"When they have a very negative result like this, they want to play as soon as possible to change their image, individually and collectively."

Rayo head into the match in 15th place, six points above the drop zone.