Are the Vallecanos keeping the bottom team at bay?
Things are currently going very badly for Elche in their third consecutive year in La Liga. The Franjiverdes have picked up just one point out of a possible 18 and boast the weakest attack in Spain’s top division with just two goals scored, while the 16 goals conceded are the highest in the league.
Now the club from the Autonomous Community of Valencia must face the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas, where they have also lost their last two away games in a row. In any case, the Franjiverdes’ away record reads disastrous with zero points and 0:10 goals. Consequently, in the run-up to the match between Rayo Vallecano and Elche, the odds are swinging in the direction of the home side.
The club from the Madrid district of Vallecas has done a good job so far. The Vallecanos have already beaten Valencia 2-1 at home and were responsible for Barcelona’s only loss of a point so far, when a goalless draw was held at the Camp Nou.
The Rayo Vallecano vs. Elche tip 1 is therefore interesting, but because we expect a low-scoring game overall, the bet on a maximum of one team scoring offers the greatest value. After all, this also covers a not improbable 0:0.
Rayo Vallecano – Statistics & current form
Rayo Vallecano de Madrid have been around for 98 years and are considered the third biggest force in the Spanish capital behind Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid. However, the Franjirrojos are in no way close to the success of their city rivals.
The Vallecanos have never won a title before and, in their 19th season in the top flight of Spanish football, are just 25th in the all-time table. However, their only appearance in international competition to date – the UEFA Cup in 2000/01 – saw them reach the quarter-finals.
Seven points out of a possible 18 from the first six games
Currently, Rayo are back in the mix in La Liga for the second consecutive year, having won the promotion relegation play-offs in the summer of 2021. The Madrilenians then finished twelfth under Andoni Iraola to secure a commanding place in the league.
The Franjirrojos are also on course at the moment. With seven points out of a possible 18, the club from the Madrid district of Vallecas is comfortably three points ahead of the first relegation spot. It would therefore be all the more important to keep the current bottom team at bay with a point in their own stadium.
Lost three of their last four league games
With that said, the Franjirrojos’ primary objective should be to keep a clean sheet at their home Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas to safely avoid defeat. After all, three of the last four league games have been lost, as they have not managed to win a game since the second matchday.
Also because of this expected defensive focus, the betting on Rayo Vallecano against Elche, that a maximum of one team will score in this Monday night match, is under favourable omens.
Predicted line-up of Rayo Vallecano:
Dimitrievski – F. García – Catena – Lejeune – Balliu – Comesana – Valentín – Á. García – Trejo – Palazón – Camello
Last matches played by Rayo Vallecano:
Friendly club matches
23/09/2022 – Fuenlabrada 1 – 0 Rayo Vallecano
La Liga
18/09/2022 – Athletic Bilbao 3 – 2 Rayo Vallecano
10/09/2022 – Rayo Vallecano 2 – 1 Valencia
04/09/2022 – Osasuna Pamplona 2 – 1 Rayo Vallecano
28/08/2022 – Rayo Vallecano 0 – 2 Mallorca
Elche – Statistics & current form
Elche Club de Fútbol is based in the autonomous region of Valencia on the east coast of Spain. However, the club, which will celebrate its 100th anniversary in a few months on 10 January 2023, has not yet had any major successes.
The Franjiverdes are currently in their 23rd season in La Liga, which could be their last for the time being if they don’t get their act together soon. After six games, Francisco Rodríguez’s squad is finally holding the red lantern.
Still without a competitive win in the 2022/23 season
Most recently, Elche suffered a 3-0 defeat at Camp Nou, with captain Gonzalo Verdú sent off in the 14th minute, before the referee also red-carded coach Francisco Rodríguez just before the break. Both will not be allowed to play in this important away match in Madrid.
Even against this backdrop, the East Spaniards, who occupy last place in La Liga with just one point out of a possible 18 and a disastrous goal difference of 2:16, are left with only the underdog role.
Still pointless and goalless away
The away weakness of the players from the autonomous region of Valencia plays a significant role in this assessment. If you take all 98 clubs from Europe’s top five leagues, Elche, together with Italian first division side Spezia Calcio, are the only clubs not only still waiting for their very first point away from home, but who have also failed to score at all away from home.
The Franjiverdes have lost all three of their La Liga matches so far, with 0:10 goals scored. In view of the fact that they also lost two matches in a row at the Campo de Fútbol de Vallecas, this away trip does not augur well.
Probable line-up of Elche:
Badía – Clerc – Bigas – Fernández – Donald – Palacios – Fidel – Gumbau – Guti – Morente – Boyé
Last matches played by Elche:
La Liga
17/09/2022 – FC Barcelona 3 – 0 Elche
11/09/2022 – Elche 1 – 4 Athletic Bilbao
04/09/2022 – Villarreal FC 4 – 0 Elche
27/08/2022 – Elche 0 – 1 Real Sociedad
23/08/2022 – Elche 1 – 1 Almeria
Rayo Vallecano – Elche Direct comparison / H2H record
Head to head: 10 – 6 – 25
There have been a total of 41 meetings between the two teams so far and with 25 wins, Elche lead the direct comparison very clearly. The men from Spain’s east coast also won their last match 2-1 at home on 18 February 2022, but their last two away games at Rayo Vallecano ended in away defeats.
Rayo Vallecano – Elche Tip
Although the Vallecanos have lost three of their last four league games, the prediction goes to the home side in Rayo Vallecano vs Elche. However, that’s not because of the capital’s momentum, but rather the visitors’ poor away form, who are yet to pick up an away point in the 2022/23 season and have lost all three of their visiting La Liga games by 10 goals to 0.
For the Vallecanos, however, the primary objective in this duel is to score. The easiest way to do that is with a strong defensive performance. We expect a correspondingly tough match, in which a maximum of one team will score.
