New game, new luck

The Spanish top flight opens its doors. For the new season, there is a (possibly) trend-setting duel right at the beginning. On the one hand, they flirted with relegation for a long time, on the other with Europe.

Both failed to materialise and so the teams are starting a new attempt with different omens. But at the beginning of the season, the experiences and results of the previous year only apply to a limited extent. Accordingly, the betting odds on Almeria against Rayo Vallecano are more in favour of the home Andalusians.

What unites the opponents is a dream. Labelled as the classic grey mouse in the region, both clubs have ambitions for more. For Almeria, this is also a political issue, especially since the arrival of an investor from Saudi Arabia.

At Rayo, the rise came rather gradually and under the long-time success coach Andoni Iraola. But he is now history and with the new coach, the unknown reigns at the beginning. That’s probably why the bookmakers are favouring tip 1 for Almeria against Rayo Vallecano.

The opponents have been rather restrained in their transfers. There were selective reinforcements. Where necessary, new players were brought in and in both cases a transfer plus was achieved. Sounds like an economically good transfer summer.

The next weeks and months will show whether this will also have a positive effect on the sporting side. However, with the knowledge of the preparation and the transfers, Almeria is considered to have a slight advantage over Rayo Vallecano in many forecasts, although the odds do not differ radically.

Almeria – Statistics & current form

The arrow for Almeria has been pointing upwards for years. That is quite astonishing for one of the youngest teams in the Spanish professional business. But foreign investors have made it possible (something that was only dreamed of in this part of Andalusia).

Back to the roots

The rise of the Union, which was only founded in 1989, from the depths of the Spanish league tree to the Belletage is undoubtedly linked to one man. In keeping with the tales of 1000 and 1 Nights, as well as the historical Al-Andalus, Turki Al-Sheikh, an advisor to the Saudi court, as well as Minister of Entertainment, has been at the levers of power since 2019.

Under his leadership, the Rojiblancos have made it back to the top after several years in the lower house. That’s where they want to stay. After coming up just short last year, they want to do it faster this time around with a new coach.

The Undesirable

This, or something like it, must be how new Almeria coach Vicente Moreno periodically feels. After a rather modest playing career, the man has discovered the coaching business for himself since 2011. He is quite successful and plays beautiful football. But nobody wants to keep him.

After his first attempts at Xerez, he was responsible for Taragona, Mallorca and Espanyol. The result? Three times he was able to celebrate promotion, three times he was released relatively soon afterwards. As a neutral observer, one could almost wish that he would have a longer half-life here. The preparation still leaves some doubts.

Good, but…

The Andalusians have made selective additions after the departure of their top striker to Atalanta. In total, this could even bring in a double-digit million amount. In the five test matches, there were two wins, two draws and one defeat with 9:2 goals.

Sounds wonderful until you look at the opponents. The defeat was against Malaga (0:1), who are now a third division team. With Ejido (7:0), Las Palmas (0:0), Antequera (1:1) and Granada (1:0), they could achieve good results, but against not necessarily good opposition. Whether that will be enough for a successful season remains to be seen.

Predicted line-up of Almeria:

Almeria (Expected line-up) 4-2-3-1

Rayo Vallecano – Statistics & current form

The men from Vallecas come to visit and would like to steal a guest gift. For this, much remained the same. Only now the pirates have a new captain on board.

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Francisco Javier Rodriguez Vilchez was born in Almeria in 1978. He is certainly happy about his homecoming. However, this time his visit is of a business nature. On 28 June, he was presented as the successor to the departing Andoni Iraola (AFC Bournemouth).

He brings with him the experience of a relatively short and uneventful playing career, as well as over ten years of coaching experience. Yet he has not been able to shower himself with great laurels in any of his eight stations. Only during his engagement at Girona (2020-21) did he have a 50% win rate. So he doesn’t look like a great guarantor of success. This also seems to influence the odds against Rayo Vallecano in Almeria. But his staff still has something to say about that.

Never change a winning system

The Buccaneros were one of the positive surprises in the league last season. In the end, they were a whole four points short of a European Cup place. With a budget of 72 million, they are in second last place in the league (with the exception of the three promoted teams). By comparison, the reigning champions (albeit heavily in debt) have a market value of roughly 850 million.

Over the years, however, a compact and strong team has emerged, which can always rise above itself. Players like Isi Palazon, Raul de Tomas or Radamel Falcao are always good for a brilliant moment and the league’s big players have also noticed this. That’s why a goal bet like the one at Bet365 is always a good idea. Now a new cycle begins and so far it has started very well

The preparation

A total of five games were played in the preparation. One win, three draws and one defeat with 6:6 goals. Unlike the hosts, however, Rayo had invited a bouquet of exotics to the test.

The win came against Panathinaikos (1-0). The defeat against Real Valladolid (2:3) and the draws were against RSC Charleroi (1:1), FC Porto (1:1) and Brighton (1:1). The quality of the opponents is undisputed and the experience gained is valuable. Now they have to show in their first competitive match that they can do it in the competition as well.

Predicted line-up of Rayo Vallecano:

Rayo Vallecano (Expected line-up) 4-4-2

Almeria – Rayo Vallecano Direct comparison / H2H record

As is so often the case in a league encounter, this match-up does occur frequently. In the case of this match-up, especially due to the fact that both teams have sometimes even been promoted or relegated at the same time. Due to the Copa, the duel has taken place almost every year.

In the past ten games, Almeria have taken all the points three times, while Rayo have done so five times. With 8:12 goals, the pendulum swings a little in the direction of the capital. That hardly impresses the bookmakers, however, as the forecasts favour a home win against Rayo Vallecano and thus a certain trend reversal. The margins, however, are marginal.

Almeria – Rayo Vallecano Tip

Both clubs have had an exciting summer. The transfer market was (supposedly) well worked. The preparation went quite well and now the start will be approached with verve.

Almeria has the home advantage at the beginning. This also influences the bettors, because the odds for Almeria against Rayo Vallecano are slightly in favour of a home win. If both keep up their form from last year, it could also be a high-scoring affair.

However, if you take a closer look at the preparation, you will notice that the guests in particular have dueled with higher-quality opponents and have done quite well. Combined with the successful past season and the quality of the squad, tip 2 seems to be more profitable for us for Almeria against Rayo Vallecano.