Rayo Vallecano v Cordoba: Preview

Taking the threat of improving Cordoba seriously will be vital to Rayo Vallecano's chances of breaking into the top half of the Primera Division, according to head coach Paco Jemez.

The Madrid club have consistently mixed losing runs with small clusters of victories this season and it is perhaps no surprise that they occupy an anonymous 11th place heading into Monday night's game at Vallecas.

A 2-1 triumph at Getafe followed the winter break and, while Paco would be happy enough with a third pair of back-to-back victories, he feels Rayo need to push on and start delivering positive results on a weekly basis.

He told rayovallecano.es: ``This will not be a straightforward game and I want to make sure my players understand that. It is a vital game and they have to understand that, too.

``We are in a great position to start looking up the table and having our fans behind us will provide a great boost.

``We will need them more than ever, because the last thing we want is to blow this chance in front of them.''

After failing to win any of their first 13 matches in La Liga, promoted Cordoba have clinched seven points from their last four games and sit just two points shy of 17th-placed Levante and safety.

Their Serbian coach Miroslav Djukic recognises how far the team has come since he replaced Albert Ferrer in October, but knows Cordoba have plenty of work to do if they are to secure a second season in the top flight.

``We are improving steadily and we are a better team now,'' he told cordobacf.com. ``The team is becoming more comfortable in this division and they can consider any side they meet to be their equals.

``But it is important that we keep improving with every week that goes by and it is only through that improvement and hard work that we can begin to imagine ourselves staying up.''

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