Will Barca end their embarrassing run at Vallecano?
The international break came at a good time for FC Barcelona, as their form has not exactly been on the up and their recent performances have been very disappointing at times.
On matchday 14 of La Liga, the Blaugrana now visit Rayo Vallecano in Spain’s capital Madrid at an unusual time. The game kicks off at 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas
Now FC Barcelona want to start the international break with momentum – a win is of course an absolute must, but they also want a convincing one.
As welcome as the international break was for the team, it was a bitter one – as Gavi tore his cruciate ligament while playing for the Spanish national team.
Rayo Vallecano – statistics & current form
Rayo shouldn’t really be a fearsome opponent for FC Barcelona. The team from the Vallecas district of Madrid have only managed one win in their last eight league games and have not won in three matches. At home in the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas in particular, the team coached by Francisco has only managed one home win in six home games
Rayo Vallecano collect draws
However, the team with the lightning bolt in its crest and shirt is also difficult to beat, as only three defeats this season show. Rayo often share the points, with only Getafe (7 draws) drawing more often. Of their last eight games, no fewer than six have ended without a winner.
Will it be the same on Saturday against Barça? If you believe this is the case, you will find average odds of 4.30 for Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona. Given Barça’s recent performances, a point for Rayo would not be particularly surprising. This was also the case two weeks ago in the Bernabeu at Real Madrid – a 0-0 draw of the more remarkable kind, even though Real had plenty of chances to win.
Whoever can upset Real Madrid can certainly do so again, provided the Catalans show the face of recent weeks.
Predicted Rayo Vallecano line-up:
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
It was a real shock: for the player himself, of course, his coach at the national team, his teammates and, of course, FC Barcelona: midfielder Gavi tore his cruciate ligament in Spain’s international match against Georgia – out for the season! Without Gavi, who is so important for the team, they will face Rayo – the team against whom Barça have recently had enormous problems anyway.
Barça have failed to win four games in a row against Rayo – coach Xavi has been on the touchline in three of these games and is still waiting for his first win against little Rayo. A remarkable statistic, especially as Rayo have won three of their last four games. If you back the home side in Rayo Vallecano v Barcelona, you’ll get odds of over 5.00.
FC Barcelona: Vulnerable and unconvincing before the international break
Rayo will certainly have something to play for against the Barça of recent weeks, as Xavi’s side were not in good form before the international break. The last five wins in La Liga have each been by a single goal, Barça were clearly the inferior team in the 1-0 defeat at Real Sociedad and only scored in stoppage time, and there were even bitter defeats against Real Madrid (1:2) and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League (0:1).
Barça are still favorites against Rayo, but they are also susceptible to setbacks and conceding goals. Predicting a Barça win against Barcelona with a goal conceded is therefore much more lucrative than going for a normal away win in the three-way tie
Predicted Barcelona line-up:
Rayo Vallecano – Barcelona head-to-head comparison / H2H result
We’ve already mentioned it: Rayo are unbeaten in four games against Barça, winning three of them. An absolutely remarkable run. What’s more, Barcelona haven’t even managed to score in three of the four games
The most recent record therefore speaks in favor of the small district club, while the overall record is of course clearly in favor of the Spanish champions: Barcelona have won 27 of 43 duels, with 7 draws and 9 wins for Rayo.
Rayo Vallecano – Barcelona betting tip
Is it worth betting on another surprise for the home side in Rayo Vallecano vs. Barcelona? Absolutely! The double chance 1X is priced at an average of 2.30 – given the problems Barça regularly had with Rayo and most recently before the international break, you could definitely consider the upbet
At the same time, Rayo are anything but a home power and have only won one of their last eight games. That doesn’t exactly look threatening. We would therefore be surprised if the team from the Vallecas district were to continue their remarkable run against Barça.
We are therefore predicting a win for Rayo Vallecano against Barcelona – albeit with a goal conceded. At least Rayo will have a small chance of upsetting the stumbling Blaugrana again
