Atl. Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-10-17 19:00.
Despite being well into his 12th season in charge of AtlĂ©tico Madrid, and under fire from naysayers after dropping points in three of his first six La Liga (LL) matches (D1, L2), Diego Simeone told reporters he âcontinues to be excitedâ by his teamâs journey. His charges are back in form too, having now compiled three consecutive LL victories after winning away to Athletic Club (1-0) to leapfrog them into the LL top four.
Theyâve got a golden opportunity to edge closer to the peak when hosting fellow Madrid club Rayo Vallecano, one of the poorest travellers of this young LL season. The visitors will have to make sure their batteries are fully charged as Real Madrid remain the only LL team to burst AtlĂ©ticoâs defences prior to half-time (1H: 5-2) in domestic 2022/23 contests, although Simeone will still be looking for a complete performance, having seen his side concede in all four LL home outings so far (W2, L2).
Thereâs perhaps no better club to end that drought against than Rayo Vallecano, who have put one solitary goal past AtlĂ©tico from eight matches played in any competition since the start of 2015/16 (D1, L7). Rayo have suffered from textbook inconsistency throughout this LL campaign, soaring as high as defeating Valencia (2-1) before falling to newly-promoted AlmerĂa (1-3) all in the space of a month to level out into a mid-table position.
Manager Andoni Iraola is under increasing pressure to keep Vallecano away from a logjam at the bottom of the standings after some questionable decisions, including renewing the contract of veteran Radamel Falcao. He will be as desperate as anyone to enjoy some overdue success against their local rivals then, having not defeated Atlético in any of his last eight H2Hs as a manager or a player (D1, L7).
Players to watch: After celebrating his 100th goal for AtlĂ©tico last round, Antoine Griezmann owes his home fans something to cheer as his last LL home goal for the club was in April 2021. Ălvaro GarcĂa could be the Vallecano difference maker again after inspiring his side to LL wins at Athletic and Barcelona last season with goals inside the first ten minutes.
Hot streak: AtlĂ©ticoâs last 26 matches across all competitions have seen one or neither team score in the first half.