Espanyol vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2022-08-18 18:00.
Just four hours after Espanyol opened their 2022/23 La Liga (LL) season with a surprise 2-2 draw away to Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano one-upped them by collecting points against bogey club Barcelona (0-0) for a third consecutive time (W2, D1). Espanyol can therefore take nothing for granted in their first home outing of the season when hosting one of the two clubs (alongside Atlético Madrid) to have defeated them twice in the previous campaign.
Espanyol boss Diego MartĂnez was full of praise for the âvery big effortâ of a team that he admitted needs reinforcements, after his side salvaged LL points on the road after conceding the opening goal for just the third time since the start of last season (W1, D2, L11). Theyâll therefore be carrying plenty of belief back home to the RCDE Stadium, where they maintained one of LLâs finest records as a home favourite last season (W6, D1, L2).
Vallecanoâs second visit to the city of Barcelona in a fortnight ought to be one they attack with reserves of confidence. Head coach Andoni Iraola will be especially brimming with optimism after he became the first manager to keep a clean sheet in each of his first three LL managerial outings against 26-time title winners Barcelona.
After finishing level with Espanyol on points last LL season, a third consecutive H2H victory should indicate Vallecano are progressing in the right direction as they seek their first top-half finish in LL since 2012/13. Now with an average of exactly one goal scored per league game since the beginning of last season, finding the back of the net more than once in a victory – a feat not achieved for 21 LL fixtures – would be another step forward.
Players to watch: Already a saviour for his new club, the towering figure of new Espanyol striker Joselu wonât be a welcome sight for travelling Vallecano fans, for he was the only scorer in Vallecanoâs trip to Ălava last LL season. Meanwhile, Ălvaro GarcĂa was the only member of Vallecanoâs previous matchday squad to score in three separate LL away games last season.
Hot stat: All but one of the last seven H2Hs across all competitions were decided by a one-goal margin, with the other drawn.