Osasuna vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2023-12-14 20:00.
Osasuna and Rayo Vallecano clash here as two of seven clubs who finished the previous La Liga (LL) round not having won any of their last six league outings. So many other sides in poor shape has helped to limit the damage of those winless runs, especially for Osasuna who began this round a comfortable six points clear of the relegation zone despite winning just four LL games all season (D4, L8).
Their home fans may be feeling especially despondent about their sixth season under Jagoba Arrasate, especially as they have been able to celebrate just one LL win this season, a 2-0 triumph against relegation contenders Granada in mid-October. That also happens to be Osasuna’s last LL clean sheet at any venue, which must be particularly frustrating for Arrasate given they boasted the league’s seventh-best defensive unit last term.
Fittingly in the midst of their six-match winless run, an even longer spell without a LL win for Vallecano last season (eight games) came to an end the last time they met Osasuna, although their breakthrough 2-1 victory on that day came at home. It may not matter that they’ll have to hit the road in search of back-to-back H2H wins for the first time since the early 1990s though, given three of their four LL wins this season have arrived on the road!
But a pessimistic Vallecano fan could be forgiven for expecting their team to slip up again, not just because of their lengthy period without a victory, but because of their sub-standard league record this season against clubs starting this round in the bottom half of the standings (W3, D5). Those draws have cost them a shot at the European placings for now, and head coach Francisco RodrĂguez admitted he is “worried” about their recent inability to find the back of the net.
Players to watch: Osasuna’s Ante Budimir has notched up nine goals across all competitions this term, already matching or exceeding his output of the two previous seasons. Vallecano midfielder Isi Palazón could be inspired by the sight of the opposition, having scored in the previous H2H.
Hot stat: All but one of the eight combined LL wins enjoyed by these two sides this season were accompanied by clean sheets.