Rayo as a fearful opponent: Will Barça’s amazing run come to an end?

FC Barcelona want to secure the runners-up spot. In the race for second place in La Liga, the Blaugrana have a supposedly easy home game ahead of them on Sunday, as they face basement dwellers Rayo Vallecano. But beware: the small club from the Madrid district of Vallecas has recently been Barcelona’s most feared opponent

The Catalan favorites have failed to win any of their recent matches against Rayo, and have even failed to score a goal on several occasions. But that doesn’t affect the Barcelona vs Rayo Vallecano odds of the bookmakers with a German license, who see Barça as the heavy favorites.

Could Rayo once again be a stumbling block for the Catalans? What’s in favor of the visitors from Madrid, what are the best bets and what is the form of both teams? We shed light on all of this in this Barcelona v Rayo Vallecano preview, including betting odds, predictions, betting tips and team checks for both clubs

Barcelona – Statistics & current form

The duty at the bottom of the table was done: On Thursday evening, Barça dutifully won 2:0 at relegated UD Almeria, but did not exactly cover themselves in glory. But what mattered in the end were the three points in the battle for second place behind champions Real Madrid. The runners-up spot entitles them to take part in next season’s Spanish Super Cup and not only gives them the chance to win another title, but also provides them with a financial reward in the millions, which is much-needed income for the cash-strapped Catalans

FC Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano: Matchball for the runners-up spot

With a current four-point lead over third place, Barça now have match point on Sunday: if the Blaugrana win against Rayo, they can no longer be displaced from second place by FC Girona. It is difficult to imagine the Blaugrana passing up this opportunity in a home game, although they have already lost three home games at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys this season.

In addition, there is once again turbulence behind the scenes surrounding coach Xavi Hernandez: in January, he announced his departure in the summer, followed by his resignation at the end of April, after which his departure was publicly celebrated and announced. Now there are again reports that Xavi will have to leave in the summer after all – because president Joan Laporta is said to have changed his mind this time.

So things are still chaotic behind the scenes, is the team impressed by this on the pitch? The sometimes chaotic defence has now been stabilized twice – after conceding nine goals in three games against Real Madrid, Valencia and Girona, there have now been two reassuring 2-0 wins against Real Sociedad and Almeria.

Barça have won seven of their last ten games, with ten of their fourteen home wins coming without conceding a goal. A Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano bet on a home win without conceding a goal is therefore obvious – also because Rayo have been weak recently, especially offensively

Predicted Barcelona line-up:

Rayo Vallecano – Statistics & current form

Rayo Vallecano are within touching distance of relegation. You could even say it is almost sealed, because everything looks as if the team from the Madrid district of Vallecas will continue to play in the first division next season. And yet it would still be possible for Rayo to finish in 18th place, although a lot would have to come together for that to happen. Among other things, a heavy defeat at FC Barcelona.

Rayo have a six-point lead over eighteenth-placed FC Cadiz with two games remaining. The direct comparison ended in draws, meaning that in the end the goal difference between these two teams will decide the tie. Rayo have a nine-goal advantage over Cadiz. If Cadiz win their two remaining games and Rayo lose both games by the same margin, Rayo could indeed still be relegated if their rivals Las Palmas and Mallorca also pick up points

Rayo Vallecano are the third weakest team in the second half of the season

So relegation is not yet out of the question, but it is still unlikely. However, the team should certainly not rest on its laurels. Nevertheless, a heavy defeat in Barcelona is anything but utopian; the odds of the bookmakers already indicate that it could go in that direction. For the Barcelona vs. Rayo Vallecano betting tip on the home side to win on handicap is only 1.77 on average.

The fact that there are high odds of up to 11.00 on a Rayo win in Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano speaks volumes about how much of an underdog the visitors are going into the game. After three games without a win and without scoring a goal, Rayo beat Granada 2-1 on Wednesday – despite being outnumbered for 85 minutes. However, with just three wins in 16 games, Rayo are also the third weakest team in the second half of the season. Four away wins in 18 away games with only 18 goals scored also clearly underline their underdog role.

Predicted line-up of Rayo Vallecano:

Barcelona – Rayo Vallecano head-to-head comparison / H2H result

Rayo could certainly even live with a narrow defeat against Cadiz, given their position in the table and their lead on goal difference. Surprisingly, however, there have been no such defeats against Barça recently. Rayo have not lost their last five games against Barcelona, winning three of them and not even conceding a goal in three of them.

Coach Xavi Hernandez has yet to celebrate a win against Rayo. A remarkable streak that Barça would of course now like to end. The “first leg” in November once again highlighted the problems the big Catalan favorites have with the small underdogs. The match, which was evenly poised for a long time, ended 1:1, with Barça only equalizing in the 82nd minute with an own goal.

Nevertheless, the overall record clearly favors the Catalans, who have won 27 of the 44 encounters, with ten draws and seven Rayo victories

Barcelona – Rayo Vallecano betting tip

Rayo travel to the Catalan metropolis as clear underdogs, although they have not lost to Barça in three years. Rayo have not lost in their last two visits to Catalonia and have not conceded a goal (0:0; 0:1). But it is hard to imagine that this streak will continue

Because Rayo have been weak in the second half of the season, winning just three times and failing to score in five of their last seven games. The liberating victory came on Wednesday against already relegated FC Granada – remarkably in a short-handed affair, but that speaks more against Granada, who have been unfit for the first division for most of the season.

It should therefore come as no surprise if Rayo lose without a chance in Barcelona this time – and also remain without a goal of their own. Our prediction for Barcelona v Rayo Vallecano is therefore: Barça win without conceding a goal