Ath Bilbao vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2025-04-12 19:00.
[p]Athletic Club have drawn each of their last three matches across all competitions 0–0, including Thursday’s UEFA Europa League (UEL) quarter-final first leg against Rangers and last weekend’s La Liga game against Villarreal. Despite the lack of goals, Ernesto Valverde’s side are in a comfortable fourth place and on track for UEFA Champions League qualification via the league if they don’t manage to win the UEL.[/p]
[p]They should still return to San MamĂ©s in an optimistic mood given that they haven’t lost a league game there since the last day of August (W7, D5) – La Liga’s longest active unbeaten home run. The Lions have historically dominated Rayo Vallecano too, winning six of the last seven H2Hs they’ve hosted and scoring at least three times in three of the last four (W3, L1), which could be good news for their goal-starved fans![/p]
[p]Rayo Vallecano’s bid to qualify for Europe next term has stalled as they’ve won just one of their last seven league fixtures (D2, L4), and they were shockingly thrashed 4-0 at home last Friday by struggling Espanyol. Manager Iñigo Pérez is reportedly being eyed up by Osasuna and Real Sociedad, but interest in his services may cool if that poor run of form continues much longer.[/p]
[p]The 37-year-old ex-Athletic midfielder says he’s going nowhere, and he’ll now try to boost his side’s perfectly even league away record this term (W5, D5, L5). Heading to his former club, where the Red Sashes have really struggled of late, Pérez’s side may feel cautiously optimistic as they’ve only lost two of their last eight La Liga road games, and they were against Barcelona and Real Madrid (W3, D3)![/p]
[p]Players to watch: Nico Williams is the last player to score a home league goal for Athletic, and his last eight club goals in all competitions were netted here, five of them before half-time. Pedro DĂaz has scored in three of his last four outings for Rayo, while three of his four goals this term arrived between the 40th and 60th minute.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Athletic have scored a league-high 26% (12) of their La Liga goals this season between the 30th minute and half-time.[/p]
[p][i]Written by John Pennington[/i][/p]