Luis García Plaza says his side are looking to get back to winning ways ahead of the second-half of the season – starting with a trip to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday afternoon.

We travel to Madrid looking to end a run of three consecutive defeats against the fifth-placed hosts, and the boss believes his side are ready to respond in the right way.

“I can see the team are very motivated to face Rayo Vallecano,” he told journalists at his pre-match press conference. “If we win, great, or at least get a point. It’s one of the best games of the matchday between two teams that are doing things very well. Rayo Vallecano has a squad which can fight for promotion. It’s very complete.

“We have gone three games without a win, but the only one I didn't like was against Las Palmas. We want to regain our defensive solvency, our solidity, which in the end is something that puts you at the top.”

Having recorded 42 points at the halfway point of the season, the boss believes there’s still plenty more to come ahead of the remainder of the campaign.

“It’s very difficult to get to 42 points in the return games,” he continued. “The teams that are playing to avoid relegation are reinforcing, tightening up and getting more points. Hopefully we can maintain our level, but it's not going to be easy.”