Matchday 15 in La Liga sees Rayo Vallecano take on Athletic Bilbao on December 1 at the Campo de Vallecas Stadium in Madrid. Rayo Vallecano vs. Athletic: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Referee: Mario Melero Lopez (Spain)
Matches – 7 (La Liga, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 23;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.3;
Red cards shown – 1;
Average fouls per match – 28;
Penalties – 29%.
Predicted lineups for Rayo Vallecano vs. Athletic
Rayo Vallecano (4-4-2): Augusto Batalla – Florian Lejeune, Abdul Mumin, Andrei Ratiu, Pep Chavarria – Oscar Valentin, Unai Lopez, Alvaro Garcia Rivera, Jorge de Frutos – Randy Nteka, Gerard Gumbau.
Athletic (4-2-3-1): Julen Agirrezabala – Yuri Berchiche, Yeray Alvarez, Oscar De Marcos, Daniel Vivian – Benat Prados, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta – Oihan Sancet, Inaki Williams, Nico Williams – Alvaro Djalo.
Each team's starting lineup from their previous match in this tournament is listed.
Rayo Vallecano
The Madrid side suffered their second consecutive league defeat of the season. In the last round, they lost 0-1 away to Sevilla, following an unexpected 1-3 home defeat to Las Palmas. The team sits in 13th place with a comfortable six-point cushion from the relegation zone.
Midfielder Unai Lopez will miss the match due to suspension.
- No more than two goals have been scored in 6 of Rayo Vallecano's last 8 La Liga games.
- The number "1" has appeared in the final scoreline in the club's last six league matches.
- Exactly 1 goal was scored in the first half in 8 of Rayo's last 10 home La Liga matches.
Athletic
The Bilbao club secured a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad at home in their last match. Before that, they had three consecutive draws and a 4-1 home win against Espanyol. Such long unbeaten runs in the league have not occurred for the team since January this year. Athletic is in fifth place, just two points shy of the Champions League spots.
Midfielder Benat Prados will not play due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
- Both teams scored in 6 of Athletic's last 8 La Liga games.
- Athletic has not lost in 9 of their last 10 league matches (5 wins and 4 draws).
- The number "1" appeared in the final scoreline in 7 of Athletic's last 8 La Liga encounters.
Rayo Vallecano vs. Athletic: Match Prediction
The Basque side has a decent chance of competing for a top-four finish this season. Their main rival is Villarreal, who are only two points ahead. To keep pace with the Valencians, Athletic must not drop points against teams from the lower half of the table. This season, Athletic's three defeats have come against Girona, Atletico, and Barcelona, meaning they have only lost to teams representing La Liga in the Champions League.
Rayo Vallecano is a highly inconsistent team. The Madrid side has not been impressive even at home, with just five wins in their last 28 La Liga matches. They also struggle against Athletic, having won only once in their last 11 league meetings, with the Basque side claiming eight victories and two draws.
My prediction: Victory for Athletic
Alavés
Leganés
Espanyol
Celta
Valladolid
Atlético Madrid
Villarreal
Girona
Real Madrid
Getafe
Real Sociedad
Real Betis
Sevilla
Osasuna
