Ath Bilbao vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-08-24 17:30.
[p]Two winners from La Liga’s first matchday will meet when Athletic Club host Rayo Vallecano at San Mamés.[/p]
[p]Match News and Current Form[/p]
[p]Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde must be more relieved than elated with their 3-2 win at home to Sevilla last weekend given that they had surrendered a 2-0 lead along the way. Their defence underpinned their success last season and propelled them to their first UEFA Champions League appearance since 2014/15, but even after their matchday one wobble, they are now unbeaten in their last 35 La Liga matches as a favourite across all venues (W22, D13). It’s a tag they carry again here and if they can live up to it once more, they could potentially win their first two games of a season at San Mamés for the first time since 2019/20.[/p]
[p]Rayo Vallecano caused one of the first upsets of the new season as they went away to Girona and won 3-1. They followed that up with another win on the road in midweek as they edged past Belarusian side Neman 1-0 on neutral Hungarian turf in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League qualification play-off. With the strain of travelling, and a crucial second leg against Neman to come in the wake of this clash, boss Iñigo Pérez could choose to rotate here, but with a chance to make history here by winning four successive La Liga away games for the first time ever, he has a tricky decision to make. [/p]
[p]Head-to-Head History[/p]
[p]Athletic have dominated this matchup over the last decade, winning seven of the ten H2Hs (D2, L1) including a league double last season. At home, they’ve won seven of the last eight H2Hs. [/p]
[p]Hot Stats and Streaks[/p]
[p]Only four of Athletic’s last 15 league fixtures saw a goal scored before half-time. [/p]
[p]Only three of Athletic’s last 16 competitive matches saw both teams score. [/p]
[p]Against the seven clubs to finish above them last season, Rayo Vallecano conceded in all 14 La Liga matches (W2, D5, L7). [/p]
[p]Rayo have scored exactly once before half-time on four of their last five visits to Athletic. [/p]
[p]Key Players to Watch and Missing Players[/p]
[p]Nico Williams became the first Athletic player in a decade to score, assist and win a penalty in one La Liga game, and given that his last five league goals came on home turf, he could be influential again here. Jorge de Frutos is in similarly imposing form for Rayo, scoring in three of his last four league games, each time before the break.[/p]
[p]Athletic remain without Unai Egiluz, whilst Unai Gómez missed their first game through a short-term muscle injury. Rayo have a near full-strength contingent to choose from. [/p]
[p]For all the latest team news, please check the Flashscore match centre.[/p]
[p]Betting Analysis[/p]
[p]With some imposing home form behind them, backing an Athletic Club victory seems an appealing option. [/p]
[p][i]Author: Aaron Murphy[/i][/p]