Legendary Uruguayan goalscorer Edinson Cavani was a lethal forward in his days with Napoli, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United. He used to cut in from the wing and use his speed to create space for himself. And if he’s in the box with a space to shoot – it meant trouble for goalkeepers. These days, he’s not that quick, so he needs his teammates to provide him with the ball in dangerous areas. Tonight more than ever.Valencia host Rayo Vallecano in La Liga this evening at the legendary Mestalla. And, boy, do they need Cavani and his teammates to deliver. With the Bats in the relegation zone, they are crying for three points.When Cavani joined Valencia, Italian coach Gennaro Gattuso was still in charge, but it was a marriage destined for a nasty divorce. Valencia, the club which appeared in two successive UEFA Champions League finals two decades ago, traditionally well-supported and historically significant in Spain, has found itself in trouble – just like their would-be saviour from Uruguay.##NAJAVA_MECA_7142354##The 36-year-old striker was a victim of negative tactics, finding himself too far away from the opposition box and deprived of balls. The goals dried up, and muscle injury sustained in early February came at a bad time. Of the five goals Cavani scored this season, neither came in a win. The 36-year-old brought his team two points with a double in the 2-2 draw with Elche in October and a goal in the 1-1 draw against Sevilla three days later. It was the best part of the campaign for Cavani, as he added another goal that month, albeit in the loss to Mallorca.But then injuries came. The 136-times-capped Uruguayan twisted his ankle in the loss to Barcelona and has had a torrid time since. He scored no goals in the seven games he played since the turn of the year and early February. Valencia lost six of those games, getting just one point and dropping into the relegation zone.Edinson Cavani scores another goal for Valencia! The 36-year-old has 5 G+A in 4 games. Class is permanent. 🇺🇾🦇 pic.twitter.com/9198qtWu54— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) October 22, 2022 Gattuso was fired, and former captain Ruben Baraja arrived to save his beloved club. Sadly, he couldn’t count on Cavani to help him – until tonight.The only way for the white and blacks is up. But despite Cavani’s recovery and the optimism brought by Baraja, many problems are still gripping them hard. The controversial owner Peter Lim is still the public enemy number one in the city of Valencia. Still, the animosity has to be put aside until La Liga survival is secured. Eighth-placed Rayo Vallecano arrive to Mestalla with no pressure and are looking to make life miserable for the Bats.Come on, Cavani – now is your time to get the dust off your shooting boots!LA LIGA – ROUND 27FridayMallorca – Osasuna 0-0SaturdayGirona – Espanyol 2-1 (0-0)/Martinez 53, Stuani 88 pen – Braithwaite 74/Ath.Bilbao – Getafe 0-0Cadiz – Sevilla 0-2 (0-0)/Ocampos 51, En Nesyri 74/Elche- Barcelona 0-4 (0-1)/Lewandowski 20, 66, Fati 56, Torres 70/SundayCelta – Almeria 2-2 (2-2)/Seferovic 10, Perez 42 – Babic 7, Puigmal 32/Real Madrid – Valladolid 6-0 (4-0)/Rodrygo 22, Benzema 29, 32, 36, Asensio 73, Vazquez 90+2/Villarreal – Real Sociedad 2-0 (0-0)/Parejo 77 pen, Jackson 81/Atletico Madrid – Real Betis 1-0 (0-0)/Correa 86/Monday22:00: (2.15) Valencia (3.15) Rayo Vallecano (3.70)***odds are subject to change***
