Prediction: Athletic Bilbao to win 2-0
Best Odds: 9/1
Rayo Vallecano and Athletic Bilbao will lock horns with each other in La Liga this weekend. The match between Iñigo Pérez’s side and Ernesto Valverde’s team will be held at El Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas and is scheduled to kick off at 5:30 pm UK time on Saturday.
Rayo Vallecano
Rayo Vallecano are a modest club based in Spain who are happy to just stay in La Liga. They finished a respectable 11th in the league table last season, and the hope was that they could end up in a similar position this time around.
Iñigo Pérez’s side have been involved in a relegation fight all season, but they are safe now. Rayo are 16th in the La Liga table with 38 points from 37 games. They will not finish in the bottom three.
Rayo Vallecano will head into the La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao on the back of a 3-0 defeat to Barcelona away from home in the league. It came after a 2-1 victory over Granada in La Liga which followed a goalless draw with Valencia away from home in the league.
Team News:
Stole Dimitrievski will be in goal for Rayo Vallecano and will have Iván Balliu, Abdul Mumin, Florian Lejeune and Alfonso Espino in front of him in defence. Óscar Valentín will be the holding midfielder. Jorge de Frutos, Pathé Ciss, Isi Palazón and Álvaro García will be in attacking midfield. Sergio Camello will lead the line for Rayo.
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao are one of the biggest clubs in Spain and have a very strong following. For most of the campaign, they were competing for a place in the top four of the La Liga table, but they have missed out on the UEFA Champions League for the next campaign.
Ernesto Valverde’s side are fifth in the La Liga table at the moment with 65 points from 37 matches. Bilbao will end the season in fifth place. Euskaldunak are five points above Real Sociedad in sixth and are eight points behind Atletico Madrid, who are fourth.
Athletic Bilbao will head into the La Liga game against Rayo Vallecano on the back of 2-0 victory over Sevilla at home in the league. It came after a 2-1 loss at the hands of Celta de Vigo in La Liga wich followed a 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao on the road in the league.
Team News:
Athletic Bilbao are likely to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Julen Agirrezabala will be in goal and will have Óscar de Marcos, Dani Vivian, Yeray and Yuri Berchiche. Beñat Prados and Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta will be the two holding midfielders. Nico Williams, Iker Muniain and Iñaki Williams will be the three attacking midfielders. Raul Garcia will lead the line for Bilbao.
Key Factors to Consider
- Rayo Vallecano have lost 3 of their last 6 La Liga matches.
- Rayo Vallecano have scored 29 goals in 37 La Liga matches this season.
- Rayo Vallecano have won just 8 La Liga matches this season.
- Athletic Bilbao have won 2 of their last 6 La Liga games.
- Athletic Bilbao have scored 60 goals in 37 La Liga games this season.
Conclusion
Athletic Bilbao have a much superior team to Rayo Vallecano and will fancy their chances of picking up all three points from the encounter. It is hard to see anything but a win for Bilbao in this particular game.
Prediction: Athletic Bilbao to win 2-0
Best Odds: 9/1
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