The first leg of the 2025/26 Europa Conference League qualification playoff between Neman (Belarus) and Rayo Vallecano (Spain) will take place on August 21 at the Szent-Gellért Stadium in Szeged, Hungary. Neman vs. Rayo Vallecano: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Neman
The Belarusians narrowly overcame KI Klaksvik in the previous round. Igor Kovalevich's team lost the first leg 0-2 but managed to level the tie in the return match (2-0) and won in the penalty shootout (5-4). As a result, Neman has progressed through three qualifying rounds for the first time in their European competition history. Notably, the team has remained unbeaten in 5 of their last 6 Conference League encounters (4 wins, 1 draw).
- The club has not lost in regular time in 5 of their last 7 home matches in the Conference League (3 wins, 2 draws).
- The team has scored in the second half in 5 of their last 6 home games in this European competition.
- The Belarusians have not conceded more than one goal in regular time in 5 of their last 7 home matches in the Conference League.
Predicted lineup for Neman (4-5-1)
Maxim Belov – Konstantin Kuchinsky, Egor Parkhomenko, Ivan Sadovnichy, Yuri Pantya – Oleg Evdokimov, Andrey Yakimov, Mikhail Kozlov, Sergey Pushnyakov, Anton Suchkov – Pavel Savitsky.
Rayo Vallecano
The Spaniards will participate in a European competition for only the second time in their history. Previously, in the 2000/01 season, Rayo Vallecano played in the UEFA Cup and reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Alaves. Iñigo Pérez's side has played only one official match this season, defeating Girona 3-1 away in the first round of La Liga. Additionally, the club participated in four friendly matches over the summer, securing two wins (1 draw, 1 loss).
- The team has not lost in 9 of their last 13 away matches in La Liga (6 wins, 3 draws).
- At least three goals have been scored in 5 of the club's last 7 away league encounters.
- Rayo Vallecano has scored exactly 1 or 2 goals in 10 of their last 13 away matches in La Liga.
Predicted lineup for Rayo Vallecano (4-5-1)
Augusto Batalla – Florian Lejeune, Andrei Ratiu, Pep Chavarria, Luis Felipe – Pathé Ciss, Isi Palazón, Álvaro García, Unai López, Pedro Díaz – Jorge de Frutos.
Referee
Arda Kardesler (Turkey)
Matches – 6 (International matches, 2024/25–2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 14;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.3;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 25;
Penalties – 33%.
Match Prediction for Neman vs. Rayo Vallecano
The Belarusians face a very tough opponent in this round, but Neman will surely try to challenge the Spaniards. Especially since the team has remained undefeated at home in this season's Conference League, with two wins and one draw. Moreover, the Grodno side plays bravely and regularly scores: in their last seven home matches in the Conference League, they have failed to find the net only once.
Rayo Vallecano, even away in the Spanish championship, prefers to play attacking football. As a result, the team rarely struggles to break down opponents' defenses, having scored in 11 of their last 13 away La Liga matches. At the same time, the Spaniards are not always reliable at the back: in their last 12 away league games, Rayo Vallecano has kept a clean sheet only three times.
I expect to see effective attacking play from both opponents, so my prediction: Both teams to score – yes
