Do the underdogs benefit from the Catalan crisis?
Three defeats in the last five competitive games, only third in the Champions League and ninth in La Liga. That’s the sad interim conclusion at FC Barcelona, who even lost the Clásico at their own stadium with 1:2 most recently, whereupon coach Ronald Koeman was attacked by his own fans on his departure.
The Catalans will travel to Madrid, where Real and Atlético rivals Rayo Vallecano are doing extremely well. The Vallecanos have won five of their ten games and are in seventh place. Nevertheless, in the run-up to the match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona, the odds are swinging in the Blaugrana’s favour.
The odds are definitely an opportunity, because if you risk tip 1 on Rayo Vallecano against Barcelona, you will be rewarded with a very high return. Already from a probability of occurrence of 22%, there is a positive expected value for the home victory of the Madrilenians, which is why the outsider tip is highly recommended.
Hedging the bet with a double chance or draw no bet, on the other hand, makes little sense, as tip 1 could just as easily fail with an away win for the Catalans.
Rayo Vallecano – Statistics & current form
Rayo Vallecano only finished sixth in La Liga 2 last season. Nevertheless, the Franjirrojos (in German: die roten Schrägstriches) were promoted in the promotion play-offs after victories over Leganés and Girona.
The kickers from Madrid thus confirmed their reputation as a lift team. Unlike in the 2018/19 season, when they were relegated after finishing bottom of the table with only eight wins from their 38 league games, the signs are currently pointing to establishment.
Perfect home record: Four games, four wins, 12:2 goals
Five of the first ten league games under promotion coach Andoni Iraola have finally been won so far. Although the Madrilenians have already lost four games, the strong haul of 16 of 30 possible points is currently enough for seventh place.
The club, which reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup in 2001, can even dream of a return to European show business. At least the home record is fuelling the hopes of the fans: at the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas, Iraola’s side have won four games and scored the maximum number of goals with 12:2.
A strong mix of experience and talent
It is worth noting that several players are experiencing a kind of second spring at Rayo. Star striker Radamel Falcao leads the internal scoring list with three goals, while playmaker Óscar Trejo, who already played for the Madrilenians last season, has already collected five scorer points (two goals, three assists).
Nevertheless, Iraola’s squad is by no means outdated, but brings with it the almost perfect mix of experienced veterans and hopeful talents (mostly on loan). The result is an intact team, which makes it all the more difficult to rule out betting on Rayo Vallecano winning a point against Barcelona.
Predicted line-up of Rayo Vallecano:
Dimitrievski – F. García – Catena – Saveljich – Hernández – Á. García – Comesana – Valentin – Palazón – Trejo – Falcao
Last matches played by Rayo Vallecano:
LaLiga
10/24 2021 – Real Betis 3 – 2 Rayo Vallecano
10/17 2021 – Rayo Vallecano 2 – 1 Elche
10/02 2021 – Osasuna Pamplona 1 – 0 Rayo Vallecano
09/26 2021 – Rayo Vallecano 3 – 1 Cadiz
09/21 2021 – Athletic Bilbao 1 – 2 Rayo Vallecano
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
FC Barcelona are currently going through a difficult phase. The Catalan showpiece club, which has won the Spanish Championship 26 times, the Copa del Rey 31 times and the Champions League five times, has lost three of its last five competitive matches.
Moreover, the Blaugrana are heavily in debt, which is why the club’s icon Messi turned his back on the club this summer. When they lost the Clásico against arch-rivals Real Madrid, the fans’ anger was unleashed against their criticised coach Ronald Koeman.
Six points in the English week are a must
The mood in the Catalan camp is correspondingly bad these days, knowing that anything less than a clear six points would be another huge step backwards in this English week with the two clashes against Rayo Vallecano and Deportivo Alavés.
After all, the Blaugrana didn’t sell themselves too dearly in the Champions League either, finishing just third in their group with Bayern Munich and Benfica Lisbon, ahead of underdog Dynamo Kiev.
The third worst away team in La Liga
At the moment, even further participation in an international competition is at risk, as the Catalans are only in ninth place after nine completed games. The away record in particular is desolate. Koeman’s team has only scored two points away from home. Barca thus occupy 18th place in the La Liga away table.
It is therefore all the more surprising that the odds in the run-up to the match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona are clearly in favour of the Blaugrana.
Predicted Barcelona line-up:
ter Stegen – Alba – Pique – García – Mingueza – de Jong – Busquets – Gavi – Depay – Dest – Fati
Last matches played by Barcelona:
LaLiga
10/24 2021 – Barcelona 1 – 2 Real Madrid
Champions League Grp. E
10/20 2021 – Barcelona 1 – 0 Dynamo Kiev
LaLiga
10/17 2021 – Barcelona 3 – 1 Valencia
10/02 2021 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 0 Barcelona
Champions League Grp. E
09/29 2021 – Benfica 3 – 0 Barcelona
Rayo Vallecano – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 4 – 8 – 25
The two teams have met 37 times and Barca are the clear leaders in the head-to-head comparison with 25 victories. Most recently, the Blaugrana celebrated 14 wins in a row against the Franjirrojos.
Rayo Vallecano – Barcelona tip
When it comes to Rayo Vallecano against Barcelona, the prediction should not completely exclude the clear “head to head” comparison. However, the current crisis in which the Blaugrana find themselves is clearly more important. Koeman’s team has lost three of its last five competitive matches and has fallen well short of expectations both domestically and internationally.
In addition, the Catalans are weak away from home. Barca have only scored two points away from home – 18th place in the away table. Now, of all times, the Blaugrana are hosting one of the strongest teams in La Liga at home. The Vallecanos have taken the maximum of twelve points at home with 12:2 goals.
