Mallorca vs Rayo Vallecano prediction: SPAIN: LaLiga betting tips on match 2024-02-10 15:15.
Mallorca are looking to end a three-game run without a goal as they take on Rayo Vallecano on Sunday afternoon. The hosts have won three times in the Copa del Rey since the turn of the year but they haven’t tasted victory in La Liga since before Christmas (D2, L3), meaning they subsequently find themselves in 17th place and only three points above 18th-placed Cadiz in the final relegation spot.
The Pirates would be in far more trouble if it were not for their home form which has seen them lose only twice in front of their supporters this season (W4, D8). Although they lost in their last league game at the Estadi Mallorca Son Moix, they will fancy their chances of picking up a win against a Rayo side who they have triumphed against in 18 out of 24 H2Hs in Mallorca (D4, L2)!
Looking to make a dent in that disappointing record on the island, Rayo arrive without a victory from any of their last five matches (D1, L4) and only four points better off than Mallorca in the table. Although they won their opening two games of 2024, one against nine-man Getafe and the other against Huesca of the second-tier, they have picked up just two victories in the league since mid-September (D9, L7).
Such poor form has seen them slip to 13th in the table and in danger of getting sucked into the relegation battle. With their next two fixtures against top of the table Real Madrid and second-placed Girona, the Red Sashes will be desperate to return to the mainland with something to show for their efforts, although whether they can stop the rot in this particular game is open to debate, having never won at Mallorca in the top-flight (D2, L7)!
Players to watch: Abdón Prats has scored three of Mallorca’s nine goals so far in 2024 and he also contributed an assist in the H2H with Rayo earlier in this campaign, while Mallorca avoided defeat in each of the last ten home games that he scored. For the opposition, Álvaro García found the net in Rayo’s last away match and also scored in the H2H against Mallorca earlier this season. Five of his last six goals have been Rayo’s first of the game with five of them coming in the first half.
Hot stat: Only Mallorca (15) have recorded more half-time draws in La Liga this season than Rayo’s 14.